SB    277    SIM 


PIGEON 
RAISING 

by  ALICE  MACLEOD 


ill 


PIGEON  RAISING 


PIGEON  RAISING 

BY 

ALICE  MACLEOD 

u 

Illustrated 


QUT-ING 
HANDBOOKS 


NUMBER  35 


NEW  YORK 

OUTING  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

MCMXIII 


ts  v  f 


COPYRIGHT,  1913,  BY 
OUTING  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


All  rights  reserved 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGU 

I.  THE  NOVICE  AND  His  MISTAKES  9 
II.  How  I  SHOULD  BUILD  A  PIGEON 

PLANT 21 

III.  COSTS  AND  PROFITS  .      .      .      .  '35 

IV.  THE  VARIOUS  BREEDS  AND  THEIR 

MARKINGS 49 

V.  THE   NATURE   AND   HABITS   OF 

HIGH-BRED  PIGEONS    ...  67 

VI.  BREEDING 81 

VII.  DISEASE  AND  FEEDING     ...  95 
VIII.  MARKETING,  KILLING,  AND  CUR- 
ING FEATHERS       .     .     .     .  105 


454786 


THE  NOVICE  AND  HIS 
MISTAKES 


PIGEON  RAISING 

CHAPTER   I 

THE  NOVICE  AND  HIS  MISTAKES 

THE  work  of  raising  pigeons  is  light 
and  interesting,  the  profits  large  and 
steady,  but  it  is  a  business  tha't  must 
be  brought  to  a  scientific  basis  from  the  very 
start  and  it  embraces  many  branches  of  very 
practical  knowledge.  Few  people  who  go  into 
pigeon  raising  take  the  trouble  to  understand 
this  or  to  study  the  nature  of  pigeons  on  whom 
they  are  entirely  dependent  for  success  in  the 
enterprise.  Pigeons  by  nature  are  as  delicate 
and  refined  as  the  most  sensitive  human  beings 
and  it  requires  knowledge  and  skill  to  handle 
them  profitably.  The  pigeon  raiser  to  be  suc- 
cessful financially  must  center  his  interests  on 
the  welfare  of  his  subjects,  who  are  entirely 
dependent  on  him  for  everything,  or  cut  loose 
his  wire  netting  and  let  them  shift  for  them- 
selves. 

Not  every  person  is  fitted  for  raising  pigeons. 
A  person  of  very  sensitive  feelings  should  not 
engage  in  the  business.  In  gathering  up  the 

9 


10  PIGJ&GN  RAISING 

squabs  for  market,  they  will  cling  confidingly  to 
you  and  gaze  at  you  with  frightened  eyes  of 
reproach  from  their  baskets  as  they  are  driven 
away  by  the  expressman,  for  they  are  as  near 
human  beings  as  it  is  possible  for  fowls  to  be. 
I  have  known  strong  men  to  give  up  the  busi- 
ness on  account  of  this,  but  as  such  things  must 
be,  I  will  endeavor  to  do  good  from  a  humane 
view,  by  devoting  an  entire  chapter  to  explain- 
ing the  nature  and  habits  of  pigeons. 

Princes,  poets,  prelates,  judges,  and  ladies  of 
high  degree  have  been  in  the  ranks  of  the 
pigeon  fancier  during  ages  past,  for  "pigeon 
fancy "  antedates  the  Christian  era,  and  we 
have  record  that  they  took  "  keen  pleasure  in 
their  pigeon  lofts  and  the  company  of  their 
birds." 

The  results  these  great  people  accomplished 
appear  marvelous  when  we  examine  the  various 
breeds  that  have  sprung,  as  Darwin  assures  us, 
from  the  parent  stock  of  the  rock-pigeon,  or 
wild  pigeon,  of  Europe  and  North  Africa.  It 
was  love  for  their  birds  that  enabled  them  to 
accomplish  these  results,  that  gave  them  the 
patience  to  persevere  through  discouragements. 
Gentleness,  kindness,  and  patience  are  the  first 
requisites  for  the  pigeon  raiser  to  possess? 
coupled  with  a  clear,  methodical  business  head, 


THE   NOVICE  11 

if  he  expects  to  build  his  own  plant;  if  Ke  can 
afford  to  hire  an  expert  to  start  it,  it  is  simple 
enough  to  run  it  afterwards. 

No  one  can  be  in  the  business  for  any  length 
of  time  without  improving  and  broadening  his 
nature.  To  be  successful  the  pigeon  raiser  must 
study  his  flock  by  spending  hours,  at  first,  quietly 
observing  them  in  all  their  phases  until  he  gets 
to  know  them,  and  they  become  familiar  with 
him ;  and  through  this,  unconsciously,  Ivs  nature 
becomes  gentler  and  kinder.  This  is  not  only 
my  experience,  but  it  is  that  of  the  most  noted 
experts  for  centuries  past. 

Bearing  these  things  in  mind,  the  novice 
should  be  cautious  how  he  plunges  into  the 
business  without  due  consideration.  He  should 
bury  his  suspicions  and  listen  to  counsel,  and 
never  depend  on  his  own  wisdom  until  he  has 
experience  at  the  back  of  it.  I  have  never  found 
that  men  in  the  business  gave  wrong  advice,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  they  were  willing  to  talk  intel- 
ligently and  profitably  as  long  as  I  was  willing 
to  listen. 

If  a  man  makes  a  business  of  selling  pigeons 
it  is  to  his  interest  to  start  his  customer  right  in 
order  to  sell  him  more;  and  if  the  novice  buys 
young  stock  it  is  impossible  to  be  cheated  on 
the  score  of  worn-out  birds, 


12  PIGEON,   RAISING 

Many  of  the  failures  of  the  novice  are  en- 
tirely due  to  the  neglect  of  some  small  point 
which  he  thought  he  could  carry  out  independ- 
ent of  the  counsel  of  the  wise;  as,  for  instance, 
a  lady  I  know  built  exceedingly  well,  but  she 
faced  her  houses  to  the  north.  With  the  stock, 
which  she  imported  from  the  East,  she  certainly 
spent  $3,000,  and  she  systematically  lost  it  be- 
cause her  birds  never  got  the  sun.  They  were 
confined  in  cold,  dreary  houses  and  fly-pens. 
Then,  she  was  sure  the  Eastern  bird  was  a  good 
market  squab  for  the  West,  although  every 
pigeon  raiser  she  consulted  advised  her  to  the 
contrary.  She  was  sure  it  was  because  they 
had  stock  for  sale. 

A  Frenchman  comes  along  and  wishes  to  buy 
stock,  but  it  must  be  cheap.  Without  any  expe« 
rience  whatever,  he  builds  according  to  his  own 
ideas  and  crowds  his  pens  with  an  ill-assorted 
lot  of  birds  at  $2.00  a  dozen;  in  a  few  months 
he  is  sold  out  at  auction. 

Another  customer  chooses  a  locality  because 
of  its  beauty  and  climate,  but,  in  spite  of  re- 
peated warnings,  miles  away  from  the  grain 
dealer.  In  just  one  year  the  six  hundred  mag- 
nificent birds,  which  I  had  sold  to  him  and  which 
I  had  found  so  profitable,  were  disposed  of  at 
a  disgustingly  low  figure  to  be  shot  for  sport. 


THE   NOVICE  13 

Therefore,  with  these  and  many  similar  in- 
stances in  my  mind,  I  would  suggest  to  the 
novice  that  if  he  wishes  to  build  a  successful 
pigeon  plant  he  should  strictly  adhere  to  eight 
fundamental  rules: 

1.  Select  a  good  neighborhood — know  that 
the  neighbors  are  honest — and  that  there  is  a 
plentiful  supply  of  water. 

2.  The  pigeon  houses  and  pens  must  face  the 
south — pigeons    love    sunshine    and  /  running 
water. 

3.  The  pigeon  raiser  should  have  a  deed  to 
his  place,  as  pigeons  cannot  be  moved  without 
heavy  loss. 

4.  Wholesale  grain  dealers  should  be  within 
easy  reach,  for  grain  must  be  bought  by  tons. 
And  it  is  also  necessary  to  be  within  the  pre- 
cincts of  express  delivery. 

5.  There  must  be  quick  transportation  to 
market — within,  at  least,  a  few  hours,  unless 
the  birds  are  to  be  dressed  and  refrigerated. 

6.  The  pigeon  houses  and  nests  must  be  large 
and  roomy  and  the  latter  numerous,  but  the  fly- 
pens  should  be  small. 

7.  The  feed  must  be  varied — with  some  of 
the  cheapest  kind  before  the  birds  all  the  time. 

8.  In  buying  stock,  buy  only  youngsters.    Se- 
lect the  breed  that  the  prospective  market  de- 


14  PIGEON   RAISING 

mands — buy  at  least  200  or  300  for  the  market 
pen  and  four  or  five  dozen  for  the  parent  stock. 

Unless  the  intending  pigeon  raiser  has  suffi- 
cient means  to  follow  out  these  rules,  I  would 
not  advise  him  to  go  into  the  squab  raising  busi- 
ness. It  does  not  pay  to  go  into  it  on  a  smaller 
scale,  for  the  steady  income  comes  from  regular 
shipments,  and  the  income  must  be  steady  to 
counterbalance  the  regular  output  for  grain. 

A  first-class,  systematized,  and  well-cared-for 
pigeon  plant  should  double  its  original  stock 
every  six  to  eight  weeks.  That  is,  if  the  pigeon 
raiser  has  300  breeders  he  should  count  on  hav- 
ing close  on  to  300  squabs  during  six  or  eight 
weeks  to  sell  or  raise,  as  he  chooses.  But,  of 
course,  he  must  give  his  pigeons  the  proper  con- 
ditions, as  it  is  an  acknowledged  fact  that  laying 
and  hatching  are  purely  optional  with  the 
pigeon.  To  quote  a  noted  pigeon  raiser,  "  The 
process  of  laying  an  egg  is  a  mental  operation. 
The  female  pigeon  forms  the  egg  in  her  body 
and  lays  it  when  she  wants  to,  not  when  she  is 
forced  to.  In  other  words,  she  lays  when  con- 
ditions are  satisfactory  to  her." 

I  was  once  a  novice  myself,  but  I  loved  birds 
and  I  was  eager  to  study  and  and  gain  all  the 
knowledge  I  could  for  their  welfare. 

When  I  took  possession  of  my  place,  a  coun- 


THE   NOVICE  15 

try-town  lot  of  loox  150  feet,  facing  the  south, 
there  was  a  mixed  flock  of  1,100  pigeons  of  va- 
rious breeds;  thoroughbred  to  start  in  with,  but 
allowed  to  cross-breed  among  themselves.  They 
were  in  one  narrow  house  built  the  full  width 
of  the  lot  (100  feet),  against  a  high  board 
fence,  with  one  fly-pen  the  same  length  and  forty 
feet  wide. 

There  were  no  squabs  in  the  nests,  and  I  was 
told  it  was  because  it  was  the  moulting  reason. 
This  is  not  true;  a  well-fed,  well-housed  pigeon 
will  breed  the  year  round.  These  pigeons  had 
had  nothing  but  wheat,  wheat,  wheat — and 
white  wheat  at  that — from  one  day's  end  to  an- 
other, dumped  into  large,  old-fashioned  feeders, 
allowed  to  get  sour  and  filthy  in  damp  weather. 

There  was  a  shed  on  the  east  end  of  the  yard 
and  I  built  a  corresponding  one  on  the  west,  fill- 
ing both  with  modern  nests.  Then  I  built  a 
thoroughbred  pen.  As  there  were  no  squabs  to 
disturb,  and  as  I  had  decided  to  confine  my 
plant  to  two  breeds  and  their  crosses,  I  caught 
up  all  the  thoroughbreds  and  sold  off  all  but 
the  runts  and  homers,  which  were  compara- 
tively few. 

As,  even  then,  I  felt  chary  about  the  homer 
for  the  Western  market,  I  bought  in  a  few  Mal- 
tese hens  and  more  runts,  and  no  runt-hen 


16  PIGEON  RAISING 

crosses.  These  latter  I  turned  in  the  main  pen 
and  allowed  them  to  mate  with  the  others  as 
they  chose. 

While  this  was  going  on  I  built  a  small  bach- 
elor pen  for  odd  males,  and  as  soon  as  the  pairs 
were  nesting  I  caught  up  the  bachelors  and  shut 
them  securely  in  their  pen  until  I  could  sell  them 
or  get  mates  for  them,  for  a  bachelor  pigeon  is 
a  great  mischief  maker,  entering  the  small 
households  and  pecking  little  squabs  to  death. 

With  the  change  of  feed,  which  I  varied 
from  day  to  day,  all  was  activity  in  the  pigeon 
villages.  Such  billing  and  cooing  and  nest  mak- 
ing! And  right  here  I  should  like  to  say  to 
those  who  advocate  nest  cleaning,  I  had  to  fill 
the  new  nests  with  pigeon  manure  before  they 
would  take  them.  They  crowded  in  and  fought 
for  the  old  ones.  The  foundation  of  a  nest 
should  be  manure — they  will  put  clean  straws 
on  top — it  keeps  the  squabs  warm  and  free  from 
vermin.  No  vermin  can  live  in  pigeon  manure, 
as  it  is  strong  with  ammonia. 

There  had  been  no  marketing  from  this  place. 
The  original  700  thoroughbreds  and  crosses 
had  been  turned  into  the  large  pen  to  increase 
to  thousands  without  system  or  discretion,  with 
the  result  that  they  only  increased  400  in  a  year. 
This,  I  am  confident,  was  due  to  the  feeding. 


THE   NOVICE  17 

Like  human  beings,  pigeons  must  have  variety. 
Besides,  white  wheat  causes  dysentery  among 
squabs,  and  nothing  discourages  pigeons  from 
breeding  so  much  as  seeing  their  young  die. 

One  of  the  hardest  things  for  the  pigeon 
raiser  to  contend  with  is  rats.  The  grain  at- 
tracts them;  then  they  get  a  taste  of  squab;  and 
then  they  will  kill  the  old  pigeons;  and,  finally, 
they  will  become  so  bold  that  they  will  come  out 
in  daytime,  in  the  very  presence  of  the  proprte- 
tor,  and  kill  pigeons  and  squabs  as  they  sit  on 
the  nests. 

They  had  reached  the  squab  stage  with  me, 
to  the  extent  of  my  losing  fifty  dollars'  worth, 
when  a  pigeon  fancier  happening  to  come  to  my 
place  suggested  cats,  and  explained  that  there 
was  a  difference  in  cats:  some  cats  wouldn't 
touch  rats.  He  knew  of  some  ratter  cats  and 
would  send  me  three  young  ones — females  were 
the  best;  and  I  must  make  them  comfortable  in 
the  pigeon  yard  and  pay  as  much  attention  to 
feeding  them  as  I  did  the  pigeons — fish  one 
day,  liver  another,  cooked  meat,  soup,  milk,  and 
vegetables,  if  they  liked  them. 

It  was  the  rainy  season,  so  early  next  morn- 
ing  I  set  a  man  to  work  building  a  comfortable 
cat-house  in  the  pigeon  yard — one  that  would 
not  leak.  The  cats  arrived  in  the  afternoon. 


18  PIGEON  RAISING 

They  were  about  six  months  old;  two  were  tor- 
toise-shell and  one  black  and  white.  They 
snuffed  about  for  a  while,  then,  as  it  was  rain- 
ing, settled  themselves  comfortably  in  their 
house. 

The  ground  beneath  the  feeders  was  honey- 
combed with  rat-holes.  Next  morning  dead 
rats  were  lying  about  the  yard,  and  not  a  squab 
was  missing,  nor  did  I  ever  see  another  rat  on 
the  place. 

After  a  few  days  I  let  the  cats  out  during 
the  day  to  run  about  as  they  chose  and  catch 
gophers  in  the  alfalfa  patch  and  mice  in  the 
barn.  At  night  they  cried  to  go  into  the  pigeon 
yard. 

My  cats  became  so  famous  and  numerous 
that  with  every  lot  of  breeders  I  sold  I  threw 
in  a  cat.  If  it  was  a  short  journey,  I  placed  the 
cat  in  the  same  box  with  the  pigeons. 


HOW  I  SHOULD  BUILD  A 
PIGEON  PLANT 


CHAPTER   II 

HOW  I  SHOULD  BUILD  A  PIGEON  PLANT 

AS  I  have  stated  before,  my  houses  were 
narrow  sheds  with  nests  ranging  the  full 
length  on  either  side,  where  there  were 
no  windows  or  doors.  This  is  an  extravagant 
use  of  space.  Nests  built  in  tiers  across  the 
width  of  the  house  are  by  far  more  economical 
and,  at  the  same  time,  this  arrangement  protects 
the  pigeons  from  draughts;  yet  the  house  may 
be  built  open,  if  the  climate  admits. 

My  meaning  can  be  understood  by  the  accom- 
panying diagram.  Had  I  rebuilt  on  my  place, 
this  is  the  plan  I  should  have  adopted. 

For  a  mild  climate  build  the  houses  sixteen 
feet  wide  with  four  feet  of  this  used  as  a  pass- 
age-way in  the  front,  leaving  twelve  feet  for 
tiers  of  nests.  These  tiers  should  be  nearly  a 
foot  and  a  half  wide,  making  eight  tiers  to  the 
twelve  feet,  and  five  feet  and  five  inches,  or  five 
nests,  each  a  foot  high. 

The  material  of  these  nests  should  be  one 
inch  rough  lumber.  The  flooring  of  the  nests 

21 


22 


PIGEON   RAISING 


im 


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Pojsoy**vay 


ALFALFA 


Ho 


tifr 


GRANARY 
tz-xze- 


BARN 

ZS'X-SJi'. 


(   &•*****  ) 

^   0'/r*o'    PATCH      J 


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PACK    ARD 


Space. 
for 

BUA/GALOW 


FftO/VT 
fc 


YARD 


LAYOUT   FOR    PIGEON   PLANT 

Size  of  Lot — 100  ft.  x  150  ft. 
Dotted  lines=foot  board  12  inches  high 
House  i.=Odd  Pigeons 

2.=Youngster  Crosses 

3.=Nursery  Maids— Thoroughbred  Youngsters 
"       4.=English  Runt 
"       5.=Maltese  Hen 


HOW   I   SHOULD   BUILD      23 

should  be  i  x  18,  likewise,  every  other  partition. 
The  other  partitions  should  be  i  x  14,  thus  leav- 
ing a  connecting  passage-way  of  four  inches  at 
the  rear  between  every  two  nests.  For  every 
pair  of  pigeons  two  nests  must  be  provided  and 
fifteen  or  twenty  extra  for  every  fifty  pairs. 
This  is  one  of  the  authoritative  rules  for  profit- 
able pigeon  raising.  By  having  a  rear  passage- 
way between  the  two  nests,  the  squabs  can  slip 
from  one  nest  to  the  other  if  there  is  any  fight-  / 
ing  going  on.  And  there  is  also  no  likelihood 
of  their  tumbling  off  the  nest,  as  they  can  indulge 
the  spirit  of  adventure  by  climbing  from  one 
nest  to  the  other. 

So  the  partitions  of  the  nests  would  be  even 
with  the  flooring  in  the  front.  Now  take  half- 
inch  boards  four  inches  wide  and  saw  them  into 
1 7-inch  lengths;  then  nail  slides  on  each  side 
of  the  partitions  five  inches  from  the  front 
and  slip  these  ly-inch  lengths  into  place  to 
hold  the  nests  in  position.  This  gives  each  nest 
a  front  platform  of  five  inches  for  the  pigeons 
to  stand  on  while  feeding  their  squabs  and  a 
comfortable  place  for  the  male  to  roost  when  he 
is  on  guard  at  night. 

First  build  the  house  strong  and  durable — it 
may  be  only  a  shed  in  appearance  but  it  must 
be  strong — sixteen  feet  wide.  Then  set  up 


24  PIGEON   RAISING 

partitions,  extending  from  the  floor  to  the  roof, 
twelve  feet  long,  seven  feet  apart  and  on  each 
side,  and  against  the  outside  walls,  set  the  tiers 
of  nests.  I  advise  using  inch  lumber  for  the  nests 
as  you  must  build  strong  and  lasting.  A  pair 
of  heavy  pigeons,  a  pair  of  heavy  squabs,  and 
heavy  manure  caked  nests  soon  tell  on  thin  lum- 
ber and  a  breakdown  is  often  disastrous;  some- 
times quite  as  expensive  as  the  extra  half-inch 
in  lumber  would  have  been. 

By  following  this  plan  you  find  you  have  two 
rows  of  tiers  of  nests  facing  each  other  with  a 
space  of  four  feet  between.  This  is  ample  to 
pass  in  and  out  with  a  wheelbarrow  for  cleaning, 
thus  making  cosy  little  apartment  houses. 


1  i 

I  1 

\ 

i 

/  \ 

7' 
^.f 

4 

'?"       .             Sf 

/ 

a               -    —  ":* 

r 

»   1 

I 

1 

i 

DETAIL   OF   NEST   AND   HOUSE 

Scale  #"  =  !' 

Detail  shows  only  one  floor  of  nest^  there  being  five 
floors. 


HOW   I   SHOULD  BUILD      25 

Against  the  back  wall  of  each  of  these  little 
apartment  houses,  place  a  feeder  for  steady 
feed  and  a  drinking  fountain,  such  as  are  used 
for  chickens. 

Each  apartment  house  will  contain  eighty 
nests,  or  forty  pairs  of  nests,  in  which  thirty- 
four  pairs  of  pigeons  can  be  comfortably  ac- 
commodated. The  front  part  of  the  house  is 
left  entirely  open.  The  roof  slants  on  each  side 
from  the  ridge  pole,  being  eight  and  one-half 
feet  from  the  ground  in  the  center,  and  slop- 
ing to  a  height  of  six  feet  on  each  side,  including 
a  projection  of  at  least  three  or  four  inches  be- 
yond the  house.  The  back,  or  north  wall,  should 
be  made  as  nearly  weather-proof  as  possible. 

The  four  foot  passage-way  in  the  front  of  the 
house  should  connect  with  the  barn  so  as  to 
make  it  convenient  to  go  back  and  forth  in 
stormy  weather.  The  roof  sloping  over  this 
passage-way  is  supported  by  uprights — either 
2x4,  or  4  x  4 — with  a  foot-board  1x12,  or  set 
in  a  curbing  of  concrete.  Either  way  it  is  well 
to  have  a  shallow  ditch  of  concrete  to  catch  the 
shed  from  the  roof  and  carry  it  to  the  drainage 
for  the  alfalfa  patch. 

The  floors  may  be  dirt,  boards,  or  concrete. 
I  had  dirt  floors  which  I  found  very  satisfactory 
and,  of  course,  cheap.  Boards  are  also  good 


26  PIGEON   RAISING 

and  easily  kept  clean.  If  boards  are  used,  it  is 
best  to  raise  the  floor  at  least  half  a  foot  from 
the  ground.  I  have  heard  pigeon  raisers  say 
that  concrete  floors  are  hard  on  the  pigeon's 
feet. 

THE  FLY-PEN 

Make  a  strong  frame  of  2  x  4  uprights  8 
feet  high  (if  the  house  is  set  flat  on  the  ground 
without  flooring)  with  1x2  cross  pieces  and 
foot-board  of  1x12  for  the  fly-pens,  and  cover 
the  whole  with  one  inch  wire  netting.  I  say 
one  inch  because  flocks  of  small  birds  enter 
through  two  inch  wire  netting  and,  in  a  few 
years,  eat  up  enough  feed  to  pay  for  the  whole 
plant.  The  partitions  between  the  fly-pens,  how- 
ever, may  be  two-inch.  Join  the  selvage  of 
the  netting  by  weaving  them  together  with 
pliable  wire.  Fasten  the  netting  to  the  south 
slope  of  the  roof  of  the  house,  half  a  foot  from 
the  ridge-pole.  This  gives  the  pigeons  a  gently 
sloping  roof  to  parade  up  and  down  on  in  the 
sun,  which  they  dearly  love  to  do. 

The  government  experimented  for  years  to 
get  a  preservative  for  rough  lumber  that  would 
withstand  the  hot  suns  and  heavy  storms  of 
Arizona  and  California,  and  yet  be  inexpens- 


HOW   I   SHOULD   BUILD      27 

ive.  A  mixture  of  crude  oil  and  princess  brown 
was  the  result  I  put  it  to  a  five  year's  test  and 
found  it  possessed  all  the  qualities  that  were 
claimed  for  it.  The  strong  suns  and  winter 
storms  of  California  soften  exposed  lumber, 
even  though  it  be  white-washed  several  times,  so 
much  that  in  a  few  years  it  will  not  hold  nails. 

Crude  oil  is  extremely  cheap — I  paid  twenty- 
five  cents  for  five  gallons — likewise  the  princess  / 
brown.  It  is  very  disagreeable  stuff  to  handle 
and  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  get  a  man  to  use 
it;  but  its  effect  is  so  permanent  that,  I  have 
heard,  it  does  not  have  to  be  applied  a  second 
time. 

Therefore,  go  carefully  over  the  houses,  in- 
cluding roofs  and  nests,  and  the  framework  of 
the  flypens  with  this  mixture  and  allow  all  to 
dry  thoroughly  before  putting  to  use.  It  takes 
time  to  do  it  thoroughly,  but  it  is  worth  while 
doing  well.  It  is  not  only  a  thorough  preserva- 
tive, but  is  healthful  and  no  vermin  can  exist  in 
it;  besides  being  of  so  somber  a  color  that  it  is 
restful  to  the  eyes  in  a  land  of  glaring  sunshine. 

There  seems  to  be  no  rule  for  mixing.  I 
merely  stirred  the  princess  brown  (which  is  a 
powder)  into  the  crude  oil  until  it  took  on  a 
suitable  color.  Lumber  thus  treated  has  still 
kept  its  strength  and  retained  its  color  at  the 


28  PIGEON   RAISING 

end  of  five  years,  while  that  which  had  been 
whitewashed  or  had  not  been  treated  at  all  was 
so  soft  that  it  could  scarcely  hold  the  nails. 

When  the  nests  are  ready,  throw  into  each  a 
handful  of  alfalfa,  twigs  or  tobacco  stems,  and 
mash  it  down  in  the  center,  then  scatter  pigeon 
manure  on  the  top.  This  gives  them  courage 
and  they  will  bring  more  material  and  make  it 
to  suit  themselves.  Never  give  them  nesting 
material  that  is  hollow,  such  as  straw,  as  vermin 
can  hide  in  it.  Alfalfa  is  solid  and  cheapest, 
even  if  it  has  to  be  bought  by  the  bale.  If  the 
pigeon  raiser  has  no  alfalfa  patch,  he  can  buy  a 
bale  of  the  hay  and  get  the  man  that  delivers 
it  to  bring  a  hay-knife  and  cut  it  into  three  equal 
parts  crosswise  of  the  bale.  This  will  be  the 
right  length  for  nest  building.  Place  the  bale 
on  sacks  to  catch  all  the  dried  leaves,  which  the 
pigeons  are  very  fond  of. 

MIXING    CONCRETE 

All  building  and  mixing  of  concrete  on  my 
place  I  personally  superintended.  I  asked  for 
a  man,  who  understood  carpentering,  from  the 
Associated  Charities,  and  with  his  help  figured 
on  the  lumber  required  and  mixed  the  concrete. 
I  paid  him  $1.50  a  day. 


HOW  I   SHOULD   BUILD      29 

Laying  concrete  is  fascinating  work.  In  lin- 
ing bath  tanks  it  is  best  to  drive  short  wire  nails 
or  tacks  into  the  sides  to  reinforce  or  hold  up 
the  sides  of  the  lining.  Although  I  have  had 
concrete  stick  firmly  to  water-logged  rough  lum- 
ber, I  think  it  safer  to  reinforce.  In  mixing  con- 
crete for  lining,  I  should  advise  five  parts  sand 
to  o"ne  part  cement,  mixing  thoroughly  first,  then 
adding  sufficient  water  to  make  a  smooth  paste. 
After  it  begins  to  set,  sprinkle  with  water.  I 
let  mine  stand  ten  or  fourteen  days  before  put- 
ting it  to  use,  sprinkling  it  daily;  if  the  weather 
was  hot,  several  times  a  day. 

Pigeons  are  great  splashers  and  the  ground 
for  a  foot  or  two  surrounding  the  tanks  soon 
becomes  deep  mud  unless  concrete  floorings  are 
put  beneath  the  tanks.  I  set  my  tanks  on  four 
2x4  uprights,  with  a  two-inch  slant  toward  the 
drain  ditch ;  the  faucet  being  at  the  highest  end. 
The  uprights  were  long  enough  to  bring  the  tank 
up  pretty  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  faucet  and 
were  sunk  six  inches  in  the  ground.  Set  the 
tank  on  the*  uprights  and  bore  a  hole  for  a 
plug  directly  over  the  mouth  of  the  drain  ditch 
before  lining  with  cement.  Dig  out  the  ground 
beneath,  for  at  least  a  foot  surrounding  the 
tank,  four  inches  deep.  Put  in  a  two-inch  layer 
of  coarse  gravel  and  cover  with  a  thin  layer 


30  PIGEON  RAISING 

of  five-to-one  cement.  Let  this  stand  forty- 
eight  hours,  then  fill  up  with  two-to-one  cement 
and  you  will  have  a  most  satisfactory  an  up-to- 
date  pavement. 

In  my  market  stock  pen,  which  carried  as 
many  as  1,000  pigeons  at  one  time,  I  had  two 
tanks  2x4  feet,  and  four  inches  deep,  but  the 
water  was  constantly  running. 

My  drain  pipes  were  built  of  rough  lumber 
sunk  in  the  ground  on  a  gradual  incline.  As 
they  were  not  water-tight  they  leaked  gallons 
of  water  that  might  have  been  used  advanta- 
geously for  irrigation.  For  a  first-class  pigeon 
plant  I  should  build  them  of  concrete,  or  use 
terra  cotta  piping,  whichever  happens  to  be  the 
cheapest. 

Make  the  alfalfa  patch  gently  sloping  and 
have  the  drain  pipes  come  in  at  different  places 
at  the  top.  This  gives  irrigation  and  fertiliza- 
tion at  the  same  time,  for  there  is  always  ma- 
nure in  the  bath  tanks.  These  tanks  must  be 
thoroughly  cleansed  and  allowed  to  refill  each 
day.  Although  I  did  this  faithfully  every  day 
there  always  appeared  a  green  scum  that  an- 
noyed me  exceedingly,  until  a  kind  old  farmer 
told  me  to  put  two  or  three  large  pebbles  in 
each  tank.  This  kept  the  water  clear  as  crys- 
tal. 


HOW  I  SHOULD  BUILD      81 

THE    PIGEON-NET 

One  of  the  necessary  implements  of  the 
pigeon  plant  is  a  net  for  catching  pigeons. 
Take  a  stout  broom-handle  to  a  blacksmith  and 
get  him  to  weld  a  thick  iron  hoop  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter  and  fit  it  into  the  handle. 
Many  people  sew  strong  netting  to  this,  but  I 
found  netting  injured  the  pigeons1  wings  and 
two  flour  sacks  sewed  together  and  gathered  at 
the  bottom  was  much  better.  The  pigeon  raiser 
soon  becomes  very  expert  in  catching  pigeons 
on  the  fly. 


COSTS  AND   PROFITS 


CHAPTER   III 

COSTS  AND   PROFITS 

THE  home  instinct  is  the  thing  that  dis- 
turbs the  pigeon;  one  may  take  young 
birds  to  any  climate  and  with  ordinarily 
comfortable  houses  they  will  suit  themselves  to 
the  weather.  Build  according  to  the  climate; 
if  close  houses  are  required  for  other  fowls, 
build  close  houses  for  the  pigeons,  with  win- 
dows that  can  be  closed,  but  never  have  the 
nests  face  an  opening  of  any  kind.  The  plan 
illustrated  in  Chapter  II  has  been  adapted  to 
a  cold  climate  by  closing  the  front,  moving  the 
tiers  of  nests  to  the  front,  with  a  window  be- 
tween, and  making  the  four-foot  passageway 
at  the  rear.  This  passage  is- divided  from  the 
tiers  of  nests  by  a  wire-netting  partition,  in 
which  is  a  wire  door  between  the  tiers,  oppo- 
site the  window,  with  the  feed  and  water  by 
the  side.  In  this  passage  was  placed  an  air- 
tight stove  for  heating  in  cold  weather.  There 
were  also  sufficient  windows  in  the  north  or 
outer  wall  for  light  and  ventilation,  besides  a 

35 


36  PIGEON   RAISING 

four-light  window  in  each  gable  near  the  peak 
and  three  covered  ventilators  in  the  roof. 

The  windows  in  the  front  or  south  wall  were 
opened  each  morning  sufficiently  to  allow  the 
pigeons  to  pass  into  the  fly-pen,  and  the  man 
whose  building  it  was  told  me  they  would 
break  the  ice  in  the  bath  tank,  if  it  was  not  too 
thick,  in  order  to  take  a  bath.  Climate  has 
no  effect  on  them  if  they  have  a  comfortable 
home.  Such  a  house  was  built  at  an  approxi- 
mate cost  of  $3  to  $5  a  running  foot.  This  is 
complete  with  flying-pens  and  all  inside  fittings. 
He  set  the  tiers  of  nests  wider  apart  than  those 
in  my  plan,  which  left  a  space  of  four  feet. 
His  had  a  space  of  five  feet,  so  there  should 
be  ample  room  for  a  two-foot  and  thirty-inch 
door  into  the  passage,  leaving  two  feet  and  six 
inches  for  the  feeder  and  drinking  fountain. 

He  set  the  house  a  foot  from  the  ground 
and  made  the  floor  double  of  fitted  boards 
interlined  with  building  paper.  The  outer 
walls  were  also  of  fitted  boards  covered  with 
building  paper  and  then  clapboarded.  The 
roof  was  strongly  shingled  and  the  whole  build- 
ing had  applied  to  the  inside  a  thick  coat  of 
crude  oil  and  princess  brown.  He  built  a  house 
fifty-one  feet  long,  which  he  divided  into  six 
sections,  with  five  fly-pens  and  a  single  passage- 


COSTS  AND   PROFITS         37 

way  at  the  rear  and  the  sixth  section  for  a 
grain  and  store  room.  At  first  he  tried  with- 
out heat,  and  although  the  birds  themselves 
did  well  they  did  not  breed  as  frequently  as 
when  the  chill  was  taken  off  the  house;  the 
second  winter  he  put  in  hot  water  pipes,  which 
heated  more  evenly  than  the  air-tight  stove. 
This  fifty-one  foot  house,  which  housed  340 
birds,  or  170  pairs,  when  completed  with  all 
the  fittings  and  two  coats  of  paint  on  the  out- 
side cost  $250. 

If  homer  pigeons  are  selected  for  stock, 
cheap  boxes  may  be  used  for  nests  by  piling 
them  up  against  the  partitions,  but  the  larger 
breeds  and  their  crosses  must  have  large, 
roomy  nests  or  they  will  breed  but  a  few  times 
a  year. 

The  huge  pigeon  plant  of  Los  Angeles  has 
nothing  but  boxes  nailed  up  against  posts  and 
piled  up  one  on  top  of  another  and  against 
each  other  under  crude  sheds,  sometimes  with 
no  shed  at  all.  But  it  is  situated  in  a  land  of 
sunshine  and  little  rain;  in  spite  of  these  advan- 
tages, the  statistics  show  that  he  does  not  re- 
ceive the  full  value  of  his  birds. 

An  old  outhouse  may  frequently  be  reno- 
vated into  a  habitable  pigeon  house  at  little 
cost;  the  main  points  to  be  borne  in  mind  are 


38  PIGEON   RAISING 

whatever  is  built  must  be  built  permanently — » 
time  and  money  are  both  lost  when  mated  pairs 
are  moved  about — and  face  pigeon  houses  for 
a  sunny  exposure. 

With  a  closed  house,  such  as  I  have  just 
described,  all  windows  should  be  covered  with 
wire  netting  on  the  outside  to  prevent  the  escape 
of  the  birds  in  case  they  get  into  the  passage, 
and  all  the  windows  should  slide  so  they  can 
be  opened  to  any  extent  desired.  All  doors, 
both  inside  and  outside,  should  be  hung  on 
spring  hinges.  In  very  cold  climates  the  birds 
may  be  allowed  to  pass  from  the  house  to  the 
fly  through  an  opening  in  each  section,  five 
inches  wide  and  six  inches  high,  and  rounded 
at  the  top,  with  a  lighting  board  six  inches  wide 
in  either  side.  Slides  are  arranged  to  close 
these  openings  when  it  is  desired  to  confine  the 
birds  temporarily,  in  either  fly-pen  or  house, 
for  the  purpose  of  catching  any  one,  or  in 
severe  weather. 

Perches  may  be  added  to  the  fly-pen  by  nail- 
ing brackets  to  the  posts  four  feet  from  the 
ground  and  boards  four  inches  wide  are  nailed 
to  them  to  furnish  the  pigeons  a  place  to  alight 
and  walk  when  not  in  flight.  The  window  in 
each  section  for  the  pigeons  to  fly  through  must 
be  closely  covered  on  the  inside  with  wire  net- 


COSTS   AND    PROFITS         39 

ting,  otherwise  they  will  attempt  to  fly  through 
the  glass  and  thereby  injure  themselves. 

In  starting  a  pigeon  plant  a  person  may 
spend  any  amount  of  money  he  chooses,  both 
in  stock  and  houses.  It  depends  entirely  on 
the  size  and  climate  for  the  latter,  and  how 
anxious  the  breeder  is  to  dispose  of  his  stock 
for  the  former.  I  once  sold  a  flock  of  seventy 
five-months-old  birds  for  ninety  dollars  because 
the  rainy  season  was  coming  on  and  I  had  no 
time  to  attend  properly  to  their  housing;  other- 
wise they  would  have  been  worth  triple  that 
amount  to  have  kept  them,  because  most  of 
them  were  thoroughbreds.  If  one  is  on  the 
lookout  many  good  bargains  in  young  birds 
can  be  gotten  from  overstocked  pigeon  lofts  in 
the  fall.  Three-months-old  pigeons  of  good 
breeding  (first  crosses)  usually  sell  at  from 
eight  to  twelve  dollars  per  dozen.  A  man  once 
stocked  his  plant  by  buying  the  entire  output 
of  squabs  from  my  breeders'  (first  crosses)  pen 
for  six  months  at  five  dollars  per  dozen.  I 
merely  guaranteed  to  send  him  healthy,  sound 
squabs  that  could  feed  themselves.  They 
ranged  from  six  to  eight  weeks  old.  He  also 
took  three  dozen  thoroughbreds  at  ten  dollars 
per  dozen.  It  was  in  the  spring,  and  he  was 
extremely  successful  in  raising  them. 


40  PIGEON   RAISING 

The  prices  of  fancy-bred  mated  stock  for- 
merly ranged  from  five  dollars  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty  a  pair,  the  latter  price  being  that  of 
prize  birds,  which  has  even  gone  as  high  as 
$  1,000;  now,  however,  fine  birds  may  be  bought 
at  from  four  to  fifteen  dollars  a  pair.  If  a 
person  wishes  to  invest  a  large  sum  in  a  plant 
and  does  not  understand  the  business  himself, 
he  should  obtain  the  services  of  a  well-recom- 
mended expert  to  build  the  plant  and  get  it  in 
good,  systematic  running  order.  Such  a  one 
can  be  obtained  for  $100  a  month  and  ex- 
penses, foj£  he  is  well  worth  the  money,  for 
after  a  plant  is  well  established  it  is  a  simple 
matter  to  run  it.  It  is  in  the  beginning  that 
many  details  which  appear  of  minor  consid- 
eration to  the  novice  become  fatal  mistakes  if 
neglected  and  much  good  money  has  been  lost 
through  their  neglect. 

Barring  mistakes,  fire,  thieves,  and  floods, 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  luck  with  pigeons. 
With  the  proper  start  these  industrious,  intel- 
ligent little  workers  merrily  perform  their  part, 
if  the  breeder  does  his  by  giving  them  the 
proper  food  unstintingly.  Scant  or  improper 
food  and  cleaning  of  the  nests  make  empty 
nests. 

The  best  known  market  in  the  United  States 


COSTS  AND   PROFITS         41 

is  said  to  be  New  York.  Prices  quoted  in  the 
newspapers  are  not  to  be  relied  on;  the  only 
reliable  source  is  to  write  to  several  retail  mar- 
kets and  inquire  prices  they  are  willing  to  pay 
for  first-class  squabs.  The  Western  market  is 
steadily  rising,  but  at  no  time  has  it  gone  to 
the  height  of  the  New  York  market,  although 
squab  raisers  are  meeting  the  demand  for  a 
much  larger  squab  than  is  produced  for  the 
New  York  market. 

My  squabs  weighed  twenty-seven  pounds  to 
the  dozen  and  a  half,  compared  to  eight  to 
ten  pounds  to  the  dozen  of  the  homer,  the 
Eastern  standard  market  squab,  yet  the  highest 
price  I  ever  received  from  the  market  was 
$4.50.  The  demand  for  my  squabs  was  unlim- 
ited, yet  the  price  never  reached  to  a  great 
height.  Whereas  in  New  York  the  price  leaps 
to  six  and  seven  dollars  per  dozen. 

Taking  a  mixed  flock,  as  I  did,  it  took  me  a 
year  to  get  it  into  shape,  although  after  a 
month  or  two  it  began  to  pay  expenses.  The 
price  of  grain  fluctuates  so  much  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  set  a  standard  of  expenses,  but  when 
my  birds  began  to  pay  dividends,  despite  the 
fluctuating  prices  of  grain  and  market  prices  of 
squabs,  they  invariably  evened  up  at  the  end  of 
the  year.  That  is,  when  I  paid  fifty  dollars  a 


42  PIGEON   RAISING 

month  for  feed  I  took  in  a  hundred  a  month 
from  the  market  squabs.  The  market  squabs 
always  paid  for  the  maintenance  of  the  breed- 
ers and  thoroughbreds,  so  that  what  I  sold 
from  those  two  pens  was  clear  gain,  besides 
those  I  reared  for  renewing  and  increasing 
stock. 

On  account  of  ill-conditioned  houses  I  re- 
duced my  flock  from  1,100  to  750,  and  then 
the  expenses  averaged  $50  a  month  and  the 
600  market  birds  averaged  $100  a  month  gross 
receipts;  the  150  breeding  stock  and  thorough- 
bred stock  from  $10  to  $30  a  month — some- 
times more,  sometimes  less.  Each  bird  of  the 
market  stock  brought  in  an  average  of  $2.00 
a  year.  My  birds  were  all  high-class  birds, 
held  captive,  and  my  plant  was  situated  in  a 
mild  climate. 

Now  comes  an  estimate  of  a  man  near  Los 
Angeles  with  100,000  birds,  which  are  of  no 
particular  breed  and  mostly  common,  who  takes 
in  gross  receipts  of  $30,000  per  annum.  His 
pigeons  fly  free  and  what  he  makes  by  their 
foraging  for  some  of  their  food  (he  feeds 
wheat  and  screenings  three  times  a  day)  he 
loses  by  having  some  of  his  birds  shot  and  not 
being  able  to  control  his  flock,  consequently  he 
freely  admits  that  he  feeds  several  thousand 


COSTS  AND   PROFITS         43 

of  non-producing  birds.  It  is  said  that  he  mar- 
kets 12,000  dozen  squabs  a  year,  which,  if 
true,  is  a  very  small  return  from  100,000  birds. 
or  50,000  pairs,  not  being  quite  three  squabs 
a  year  for  each  pair.  This  mammoth  pigeon 
plant  ships  squabs  to  Los  Angeles,  Pasadena, 
and  as  far  north  as  Santa  Barbara.  He  sells 
them  dressed,  and  as  his  pigeons  are  all  white, 
or  nearly  so,  he  must  receive  a  good  revenue 
from  the  feathers,  which  are  easily  cured  and 
will  sell  for  from  forty  to  sixty  cents  a  pound. 

My  birds  were  picked  breeders  and  nested 
from  eight  to  ten  times  a  year,  producing  from 
4,500  to  5,000  squabs,  which  I  marketed  alive, 
receiving  from  $2.25  to  $4.50  per  dozen. 

It  is  simply  impossible  to  count  flying 
pigeons.  Even  the  best  experts  overestimate 
the  numbers.  I  was  supposed  to  have  had 
2,000,  but  when  I  began  to  keep  strict  tally  on 
the  nesting  capacity  of  the  house  I  discovered 
I  had  but  1,100;  so  it  may  be  with  this  mam- 
moth pigeon  ranch,  and  if  they  were  caught 
up  by  the  dozen  it  would  be  found  he  had 
just  half  the  number.  When  there  are  500 
birds  in  motion  and  as  many  more  peeping 
their  heads  out  of  nests,  they  certainly  have 
the  appearance  of  3,000  or  4,000. 

I  paid  $700  for  my   1,100  birds  and  the 


44  PIGEON   RAISING 

buildings,  including  fly-pens  and  feeders,  cost 
in  the  neighborhood  of  $450,  which  I  consider 
was  very  poorly  expended;  but,  barring  all  mis- 
takes and  even  if  the  plant,  roughly  estimated, 
cost  $1,200,  it  was  a  large  interest  on  the 
money.  In  fact,  I  know  of  very  few  invest- 
ments that  make  such  large  returns  on  small 
capital,  and  certainly  none  that  has  such  light 
and  interesting  work. 

In  breeding  for  market  large  numbers  only 
are  profitable,  and  if  the  pigeon  raiser  selects 
a  straight  breed  for  his  stock  it  becomes  a  diffi- 
cult problem  to  prevent  inbreeding,  which  he 
would  not  have  to  face  if  his  flock  was  that  of 
crosses.  In  selecting  stock,  however,  the  pigeon 
raiser  must  cater  to  the  demand  of  the  market 
or  he  loses.  The  Western  market  prefers  a 
squab  large  enough  to  be  served  in  halves,  and 
it  is  foolish  for  the  pigeon  raiser  to  try  to  raise 
homer  stock  in  the  West  because  it  is  advocated 
and  demanded  in  the  East.  The  Western  res- 
taurateur is  willing  to  pay  the  marketman  forty 
or  fifty  cents  for  a  bird  he  can  sell  in  two  por- 
tions for  eighty  cents  or  a  dollar.  It  is  less 
trouble  to  handle  in  the  dressing  and  cooking 
and  is  more  pleasing  to  the  eye  of  the  consumer 
than  the  small  squab,  but  has  precisely  the  same 
delicacy  of  flavor.  This  is  where  so  many  fail 


COSTS  AND   PROFITS         45 

in  not  consulting  the  taste  of  the  locality  in 
which  they  live. 

There  is  a  pigeon  plant  of  2,000  homers  in 
the  vicinity  of  San  Francisco  which  nets  a  clear 
profit  to  the  proprietor  of  $100  a  month.  He 
employed  an  expert  at  $100  a  month  to  go 
over  his  stock  and  give  him  advice.  The  advice 
was  gradually  to  change  his  stock.  Although 
the  expert  pointed  out  that  he  might  be  receiv- 
ing $2.25  per  dozen  a  few  weeks  during  the 
summer  months  and  the  rest  of  the  year  on 
up  to  $4.50,  where  he  was  getting  $1.50  most 
of  the  summer  and  never  higher  than  $3.00  in 
the  winter,  he  stoutly  maintained  that  it  was 
the  valued  bird  of  the  East  and  he  preferred 
not  to  risk  a  new  stock.  So  as  he  was  satisfied 
with  the  returns,  there  was  nothing  more  to 
be  said,  but  he  might  have  been  receiving  at 
least  $200  a  month. 


THE   VARIOUS   BREEDS 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE  VARIOUS  BREEDS  AND  THEIR  MARKINGS 

DARWIN  divides  the  pigeon  family  into 
four  grand  divisions,  but  a  noted  fan- 
cier more  simply  divides  it  into  three: 
the  rock-pigeon,  or  wild  bird;  the  domesticated, 
duffer,  or  common  pigeon;  and  the  artificial,  or 
fancy  pigeon.  Several  hundred  varieties  of  the 
last  named  class,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
fifty  are  named  and  recognized  by  fanciers, 
have  been  produced  under  domestication,  some 
of  them  differing  but  little,  others  to  an  aston- 
ishing degree,  from  the  wild  stock,  many  really 
being  almost  monstrous.  Yet,  no  matter  how 
far  removed  in  appearance,  they  all  carry  the 
same  nature,  habits,  and  primal  structural  points 
of  the  parent  stock. 

The  rock-pigeon,  or  original  stock,  receives 
its  name  from  inhabiting  the  rocky  sea-coasts 
and  neighboring  islands  of  Europe  and  North 
Africa.  It  is  rarely  found  inland  except  when 
in  search  of  food,  when  it  is  known  to  fly  fifty 
and  seventy-five  miles  for  grain.  This,  so  Dar- 

49 


50  PIGEON   RAISING 

win  states,  is  where  the  homing  pigeon  has  got- 
ten his  power  of  endurance,  fleetness,  and  the 
wonderful  feat  of  carrying  his  crop  full  of  food 
undigested  through  an  entire  day's  flight,  the 
operation  of  digestion  being  stayed  during  flight 
in  order  to  feed  the  young  at  the  nest. 

The  rock-pigeon  also  has  a  deep  love  of 
home,  a  trait  that  has  been  carried  down 
through  centuries  of  breeding  in  an  unblem- 
ished state  to  his  latest  fancy  descendant. 

It  is  supposed  that  pigeons  were  first  domes- 
ticated solely  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the 
table;  at  least  an  early  record,  more  than  3,000 
years  B.  C.,  signifies  their  use  for  that  purpose 
by  the  Egyptians;  also  in  the  Bible,  Numbers 
11:32,  "homers"  are  spoken  of  as  food  for 
the  Israelites. 

From  this  we  should  conclude  that  the  hom- 
ing variety  was  the  first  deviation  from  the 
parent  stock.  He  certainly  comes  nearer  in  ap- 
pearance and  is  invariably  used  as  the  staple 
rejuvenator  of  the  other  varieties  when  weak- 
ened by  too  much  inbreeding.  No  other  species 
of  bird  has  been  studied  with  the  same  degree 
of  care  that  he  has.  For  centuries  this  breed 
has  been  employed  in  war,  in  sport,  and  in  many 
scientific  experiments.  The  reason  he  has  been 
so  largely  used  for  homing  is  due  to  the  fact 


THE    VARIOUS  BREEDS      51 

that  the  home  instinct  is  so  strong  a  character- 
istic that  he  will  travel  for  hundreds  of  miles  in 
order  to  reach  that  beloved  spot,  one  thousand 
miles  being  the  prize  distance.  Over  distances 
they  can  cover  in  a  few  hours  they  can  make  a 
speed  of  fifty  to  ninety  miles  an  hour.  The 
rate  of  flight  for  long  distances  is  very  low — 
about  two  and  a  half  days  to  cover  650  miles, 
although  there  is  a  record  of  611  miles  being 
made  in  twelve  hours.  When  the  maximum 
distance  of  1,000  miles  is  to  be  traversed  the 
average  rate  of  flight  is  extremely  low;  from 
nine  to  fourteen  days  is  a  splendid  record.  It 
is  not  uncommon  for  birds  to  take  fifteen,  six- 
teen, and  twenty  days  for  such  a  journey.  So 
many  and  severe  are  the  trials  sometimes  that 
these  graceful  little  creatures  have  to  contend 
with  on  the  journey  that  some  of  them  return 
from  such  a  distance  after  months,  or  even 
years.  Only  a  few  of  the  birds  released  1,000 
miles  from  home  ever  get  back. 

Many  and  pitiful  are  the  stories  told  of  the 
hardships  endured  by  these  little  message  bear- 
ers who  many  times  meet  their  death  through 
the  ignorant  curiosity  of  human  beings;  as,  for 
example,  the  case  of  the  tired  little  homer  who, 
bearing  the  last  message  of  the  balloonist,  An- 
dree,  from  the  Arctic  regions,  lighting  on  the 


52  PIGEON   RAISING 

mast  of  a  ship  and  going  to  sleep  witK  his  Head 
beneath  his  wing,  was  idly  shot  by  the  captain 
because  he  recognized  it  as  a  strange  bird  for 
that  latitude. 

A  much  more  humane  use  of  the  homing 
pigeon  is  practiced  in  China  and  Spain,  where 
they  are  used  in  games.  A  good  description  of 
those  practiced  in  China  can  be  found  in  the  St. 
Nicholas  for  February,  1900. 

The  homer  is  always  clean-footed  and  trimly 
built  for  flight.  His  feet  and  legs  are  red  and 
his  beak  is  long  and  horn  colored;  these  marks 
also  come  from  his  early  progenitors,  the  wild 
pigeons  of  California  having  yellow  legs  and 
beak.  The  homer's  head  should  be  well 
shaped;  it  is  said  the  homer  has  one-fourth 
more  brain-room  than  the  common  pigeon. 

The  pigeon  fancier  always  looks  to  the  eye 
to  determine  his  breeding;  a  flattened  skull  and 
heavy  eye-cere  show  a  barb  cross.  If  the  eye 
is  dark,  the  head  round,  and  beak  short  and 
close  fitting,  there  is  a  preponderance  of  the 
owl  type;  but  whatever  the  cross,  the  result 
will  be  a  persistent  and  intelligent  home-seeker 
that  will  fly  later  at  night  than  any  other  type. 
Another  positive  point  in  the  homer  is  a  pro- 
truding eye-ball.  The  chest  should  be  full  and 
broad.  The  tail  of  the  pigeon  acts  as  the  rud- 


THE    VARIOUS  BREEDS      53 

der  in  flight  and  should  be  of  good  length. 
This  length  is  increased  by  pulling  out  the 
feathers  in  the  first  year.  This  operation  is 
also  thought  to  give  strength  to  any  young  or 
weak  bird. 

As  homing  pigeons  circle  round  several  times 
high  in  the  air  immediately  after  being  re- 
leased, in  order  to  get  their  bearings,  it  is  a 
generally  accepted  theory  that  they  return  by 
means  of  visual  landmarks.  This  is  proved  by 
the  birds  being  useless  in  dense  fog,  such  as 
they  frequently  have  in  England. 

Trie  homing  pigeon  is  found  in  black,  white, 
red,  silver,  dun,  and  cream,  but  is  more  gener- 
ally seen  in  soft  blue  with  strongly  marked 
bars  or  checkers. 

THE    RUNT 

The  runt,  a  name  given  to  it  in  sarcasm,  is 
the  largest  and  most  robust  among  pigeons. 
The  Roman  runt,  the  oldest  of  known  varie- 
ties, next  to  the  homer,  had  its  origin  near  the 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  where  it  had 
long  been  classed  as  poultry.  Its  main  point  is 
size,  attaining  a  weight  sometimes  of  nearly 
three  pounds  and  a  wing  spread  of  forty-two 
inches  from  tip  to  tip.  The  runt  colors  are 


54  PIGEON   RAISING 

black,  white,  red,  dun,  but  are  more  highly 
prized  in  silver  or  blue.  It  has  a  noble,  ma- 
jestic dignity  combined  with  perfect  proportion 
in  outlines,  and  with  none  of  the  grotesqueness 
of  the  later  fancies  in  pigeons;  it  stands  alone 
with  the  homer  as  nearest  the  parent  stock  ex- 
cept in  size. 

HEN  PIGEONS 

From  the  Roman  runt  was  bred  the  Leghorn 
runt  which,  while  of  equal  weight  with  the  Ro- 
man, is  peculiar  in  standing  high  upon  long, 
bare  legs,  its  neck  curved  like  the  letter  S,  and 
its  tail  and  wings  carried  high,  these  peculiari- 
ties winning  for  it  the  name  of  uhen  pigeon." 
From  this  was  bred,  at  Malta,  a  smaller  bird, 
yet  carrying  all  the  other  points  of  the  Leg- 
horn hen,  called  the  Maltese  hen.  This  is  the 
bird  so  highly  prized  by  epicures  throughout 
the  West  for  crossing  with  the  English  runt  for 
table  use.  They  come  in  all  colors  and  splashes. 

There  is  another  variety  of  hen  that  is  called 
Hungarian  hen.  Their  style  of  carriage  is  not 
so  exaggerated  as  that  of  the  Maltese  hen. 
They  come  always  beautifully  marked  in  black 
and  white,  red  and  white,  yellow  and  white, 
and  blue  and  white. 


THE    VARIOUS  BREEDS      55 

"Pigeon  Fancy"  dates  back  some  eighty 
years  in  this  country,  and  in  that  time  an  im- 
mense amount  of  money  has  been  invested  in 
perfecting  the  fancy  and  toy  breeds  which  are 
scattered  broadcast  over  the  land.  Large  sums 
have  been  paid  for  African  owls,  pouters,  and 

racing  homers. 

v 

THE    POUTER 

The  pouter  in  appearance  is  farther  away 
from  the  parent  stock  (rock  pigeon)  than  any 
of  the  other  varieties,  yet  by  nature  he  has  all 
the  characteristics.  He  is  purely  a  fancy  pig- 
eon and  easily  stands  at  the  head  of  what 
breeding  can  accomplish.  No  bird  has  been 
bred  showing  such  a  divergence  from  the  orig- 
inal type  as  the  pouter,  and  therefore  no  bird 
shows  the  amount  of  breeding  which  he  does. 
His  distinct  points  are  an  extraordinary  length 
of  limb,  wonderful  crop,  great  length  of 
feather,  thin  girth,  and  lightness  in  hand — no 
highly  bred  pouter  carries  much  flesh.  His 
legs  should  be  closely  covered  with  short, 
soft  feathers,  which  gradually  increase  in  size 
and  quill  to  the  toes  where  they  spread  upon 
the  ground  at  right  angles  with  the  foot.  He 
is  gentle  in  disposition  and  easily  tamed.  It  is 


56  PIGEON   RAISING 

a  comical  sight  to  see  a  tall,  inflated  pouter 
bowing  and  cavorting  about  a  tiny  tumbler. 
The  pouter  has  all  the  straight  colors  and  also 
carries  superior  markings  when  crossed  with 
white.  There  is  a  breed  of  pigmy  pouters  that 
has  clean  legs  and  feet.  The  crops  of  both 
of  these  varieties  should  be  borne  well  up  when 
inflated. 

THE  FANTAIL 

Next  to  the  pouter  the  fantail  is  the  most 
extreme  modification,  or  rather  embellishment 
of  the  parent  stock,  for  its  tail  contains  up  to 
thirty-six  or  even  forty-two  quill  feathers  in 
place  of  the  twelve  originally  present.  It  has 
been  highly  bred  in  Scotland,  England,  and 
America.  This  breed  is  seen  both  plain  legged 
and  slightly  booted.  Besides  their  wonderful 
tails,  their  chief  points  are  a  haughty  carriage 
of  the  head  and  swanlike  bend  of  the  neck. 
They  are  bred  in  all  solid  colors,  but  are  more 
frequently  seen  in  intense  blacks  and  dazzling 
whites.  They  are  peculiar  in  structure  as  not 
having  the  oil-gland. 

THE   CARRIER 

Pigeon  fanciers  resent  the  confounding    of 


THE    VARIOUS  BREEDS      57 

the  homer  and  carrier  pigeon,  the  latter  being 
considered  by  many  of  them  as  the  king  of 
birds.  His  name  comes  from  the  regal  car- 
riage of  his  head  and  not  from  carrying  mes- 
sages as  many  novices  suppose.  In  appearance 
he  is  totally  different  from  the  homing  pigeon, 
having  a  much  longer  neck,  large  wattles  aj 
the  base  of  his  beak,  and  much  cere  about  his 
eyes.  In  order  to  have  this  cere  the  proper 
whitish  bloom,  which  is  one  of  the  most  valued 
points  of  the  carrier,  and  not  tinged  with  pink, 
the  fancier  keeps  his  birds  secluded  from  the 
deteriorating  influences  of  sun  and  outdoor  air. 
This  is  a  most  unnatural  life  for  a  pigeon  and 
when  followed  makes  the  birds  delicate  and 
susceptible  to  disease.  Exposure  to  the  at- 
mosphere also  shrinks  the  cere.  These  points 
take  five  years  at  least  to  mature,  though  three 
years  will  determine  their  character. 

The  carrier  has  long  been  highly  bred  in 
England  and  greatly  esteemed  there.  The  colors 
of  the  carreir  are  solid  black,  blue,  and  white. 
The  black  by  contrast  brings  out  the  bloom  of 
his  wattles  to  much  better  effect  than  the  other 
two. 

THE  BARB 

Although  the  barb  is  considered  to  be    the 


58  PIGEON   RAISING 

original  of  the  carrier,  it  is  a  much  smaller 
bird  and  has  a  short  neck,  broad  breast,  and 
broad  flat  head;  wattles  on  beak  and  about  the 
eye  not  so  prominent,  and  more  highly  colored 
than  the  carrier;  beak  shorter.  Both  these 
breeds  are  of  ancient  lineage.  The  barb  was 
perfected  in  Barbary.  The  eye  wattles  ma- 
ture in  the  third  year,  and  should  be  of  equal 
breadth,  the  thickest  at  the  outer  edge,  the  eye 
standing  out  in  the  center  like  the  hub  of  a 
wheel.  His  colors  are  red,  silver,  dun,  white, 
and  black. 

THE    JACOBIN 

The  jacobin  is  of  continental  origin,  and  has 
its  name  from  the  fancied  resemblance,  in  the 
hooded  white  head,  to  the  cowl  and  shaven 
head  of  the  friar.  The  bird  is  small  in  body, 
the  loose,  silky  feathering  giving  it  a  size  to 
which  its  weight  does  not  correspond.  The 
legs  and  feet  are  clean.  The  difficult  points  in 
breeding  are  the  adornings  of  the  head,  the 
lower  part  of  which  closely  resemble  a  muffler; 
these  feathers  grow  in  two  directions.  The 
colors  are  red,  silver,  black,  white,  and  blue. 

THE    TRUMPETER 

The  trumpeter  is  divided  into  the  toy  and 


THE    VARIOUS  BREEDS      59 

Russian.  The  former  was  the  toy  of  the  Ger- 
man fancier  who  bred  him  in  all  colors,  and  in 
splashes,  checkers,  and  solids;  he  put  bars  on 
the  wings,  changed  the  color  of  the  chest,  the 
rose,  and  boots,  giving  as  many  names  as  he 
could  produce  varieties. 

The  Russian,  on  the  contrary,  is  only  to  be 
found  in  straight  black,  or  white.  It  is  v^ry 
"  high-class "  in  the  difficulties  of  breeding  its 
points  of  rose,  crest,  and  foot-feathers.  The 
rose  is  the  tuft  of  feathers  covering  the  head 
from  the  base  of  the  beak  to  the  crest  of  the 
back,  overhanging  the  eyes  so  that  the  bird  can 
only  see  what  is  beneath  it.  The  feathers  must 
diverge  from  the  center  regularly  and  lie 
smoothly.  The  crest  is  at  the  back  and  extends 
from  eye  to  eye. 

The  half-blinded  condition  of  the  bird  and 
its  excessive  footfeathering  combine  to  give  it 
a  groping  character  and  a  heavy  appearance. 
The  intense  black  plumage  shows  beautiful 
glints  in  the  sunlight.  They  were  first  taken 
into  England  fifty  years  ago.  The  bird  re- 
ceives its  name  from  the  peculiar  and  long-con- 
tinued sound  of  its  cooing. 

THE     OWL    AND    TURBIT 

The    owls   stand    foremost   among  the    toy 


60  PIGEON  RAISING 

breeds.  The  finest  specimens  weigh  but  from 
five  to  eight  ounces  each.  They  were  first 
brought  from  Tunis,  Africa.  The  owls,  tur- 
bits,  and  orientals  make  up  the  frilled  varie- 
ties. In  all  there  is  a  general  resemblance  in 
short,  plump  body,  short,  stout  beak,  and  the 
frill  of  curled  feathers  upon  the  breast.  More 
importance  is  given  to  the  shape  of  the  head 
and  beak  than  to  the  frill.  The  feathers  at  the 
back  of  the  turbit  head  are  sometimes  inverted 
or  curled  upwards,  forming  the  point  or  shell 
crest,  whereas  the  owl  head  is  always  un- 
adorned, plain. 

The  turbit  is  in  all  colors  and  may  be  of  one 
throughout,  or  with  body  white  and  wings  or 
tail  colored.  The  owl-turbit  is  a  cross  of  the 
turbit  and  owl,  and  in  a  measure  resembles 
both. 

THE    ORIENTALS 

The  orientals  are  considered  by  some  the 
gems  of  the  fancy,  combining  as  they  do  the 
grace  of  the  owl-pigeon  with  a  peculiarly  rich 
plumage.  The  varieties  have  their  origin  in 
Turkey,  and  the  characteristic  white  spot  upon 
the  tail,  found  in  no  other  variety,  is  considered 
due  to  their  ancestor,  the  rock-pigeon,  the  only 


THE   VARIOUS  BREEDS,      61 

others  thus  marked.  The  varieties  of  this 
class  are  the  turbiteen,  the  blondinette,  and  the 
satinette.  The  colors  of  the  orientals  are  pe- 
cular  to  them,  being  pinkish  brown,  orange,  or 
sulphur,  seal  brown,  purplish  black,  and  very 
light  blue. 

THE  ARCHANGEL 

The  archangel  has  its  name  from  arc-en-ciel, 
the  rainbow,  given  with  reference  to  its  exceed- 
ingly rich-colored  and  iridescent  plumage. 
This  variety  was  introduced  into  England  from 
the  continent  early  in  the  I9th  century. 

THE  NUN  AND  PRIEST 

The  nun,  priest,  and  others  are  the  toys.  All 
are  the  result  of  the  German  breeder's  skill 
and  the  tendency  of  the  duffer  stock,  from 
which  they  were  bred,  to  variation.  This  toy 
fancy  had  its  origin  in  Germany,  where  it  is 
carried  to  the  greatest  perfection.  The  object 
in  it  is  to  combine  the  color  and  marking  to 
produce  certain  effects,  and  to  make  the  colors 
retain  their  brilliancy  and  depth.  The  names 
given  to  the  varieties  refer  to  a  fancied  resem- 
blance in  the  marking. 


62  PIGEON   RAISING 

THE    TUMBLER 

Tumblers  are  prolific  breeders  and  excellent 
parents,  but  are  extremely  small,  so  are  exclu- 
sively a  fancy  pigeon.  The  tumbler's  colors 
are  bronze,  black,  buff,  and  also  come  in  these 
colors  mottled.  In  captivity  tumblers  cannot 
show  off  their  wonderful  tumbling  feats, 
though  there  is  a  variety  called  "parlor  tum- 
blers "  that  can  fly  only  six  inches  from  the 
ground  and  in  this  attempt  turn  a  complete 
double  somersault.  The  tumbler  is  an  amiable 
little  fellow  who  is  very  fond  of  playing  pranks 
on  larger  pigeons. 

THE    DRAGOON 

The  dragoon  is  a  large  bird,  much  resembling 
the  homer  with  which  it  is  frequently  crossed 
for  market  squabs.  It  comes  in  all  the  homer 
colors  and  has  clean  legs  and  feet.  Its  princi- 
pal distinguishing  points  from  the  homer  are 
general  size,  heavy  build,  and  heavy  wattles  at 
the  base  of  beak  and  pronounced  eye-cere. 

THE    DUCHESSE 

The  duchesse  is  a  beautiful  bird  with  some- 


THE   VARIOUS  BREEDS      63 

thing  of  the  build  of  the  dragoon  without  the 
heavy  cere  or  wattles  but  heavily  booted  with 
long  feathers.  It  is  principally  seen  in  white. 
Many  breeders  consider  them  poor  squab  feed- 
ers, but  I  have  not  found  them  so,  the  feath- 
ered feet  being  the  principal  objection  to  them 
for  market  squabs. 


NATURE   AND   HABITS 


CHAPTER   V 

THE   NATURE  AND   HABITS  OF   HIGH-BRED 
PIGEONS 

^ 

I  HAVE  alluded  to  the  extreme  sensitive- 
ness of  the  high-bred  pigeon.  It  was  my 
pleasure  to  sit  for  hours  at  a  time  on  a 
camp  stool  in  my  pigeon  yards  and  study  the 
faces  and  motions  of  my  feathered  beauties.  I 
found  them  capable  of  expressing  all  the  emo- 
tions of  human  beings;  love,  hatred,  forgive- 
ness, sympathy,  horror,  disdain,  remorse,  char- 
ity, jealousy,  avarice,  vanity,  tenderness,  last- 
ing affection,  fickleness,  domesticity,  a  love  of 
gadding  and  gossip,  dignity  and  reticence,  sar- 
casm, and  a  love  of  playing  jokes  on  one  an- 
other;— yes,  and  pigeons  laugh  at,  and  enjoy 
>a  good  joke  as  much  as  anybody, — and  all  of 
these  emotions  to  an  astonishing  degree  of  de- 
velopment. 

They  have  one  universal  trait,  however, — 
cleanliness.  They  are  the  daintiest,  cleanest  of 
God's  creatures,  constantly  bathing  and  preen- 
ing their  feathers. 

67 


68  PIGEON   RAISING 

Their  nests  look  dirty  and  it  is  certainly  in- 
congruous to  see  a  dainty,  beautifully  plumed 
pigeon  sitting  on  a  manure  caked  nest.  Pigeon 
manure  cannot,  however,  be  as  uncleanly  as  it 
looks  and  instinct  certainly  tells  the  pigeon  it 
is  not  unhealthy  for  the  young,  else  why  should 
they  select  manure  covered  nests?  To  prove 
its  cleansing  properties,  examine  a  manure  cov- 
ered roof  after  a  drenching  rain — it  looks  as 
though  it  had  been  scoured  with  soap  and 
water. 

Look  over  the  nests  daily  to  see  if  there  are 
any  dead  squabs  to  be  removed,  but  leave  the 
nests  alone;  don't  disturb  your  breeders  by 
cleaning.  If  the  nests  are  built  up  too  high, 
take  off  the  top  layers,  otherwise,  leave  them 
alone.  They  know  best. 

Even  in  the  wild  state  the  pigeon  is  monoga- 
mous and  mates  for  life,  but  when  confined 
where  food  is  plentiful  and  he  does  not  have  to 
forage  for  each  meal,  the  love  of  the  male  for 
home  duties  and  the  care  of  the  young  will 
sometimes  lead  him  to  maintain  two  mates, 
when  his  efforts  to  do  double  duty  during  the 
time  of  incubation  and  feeding  will  be  unremit- 
ting and  amusing.  I  had  a  tiny  bronze  tumbler 
that  invariably  maintained  two  mates  through- 
out the  year.  This  is  the  only  case  that  came 


NATURE   AND   HABITS       69 

under  my  notice,  however,  during  my  five  years' 
experience  with  pigeons. 

To  illustrate  the  lasting  affection  of  a  pig- 
eon, I  will  tell  of  a  beautiful  crested  red  runt  I 
once  owned.  His  mate  was  a  little  black 
homer,  but,  as  I  wished  him  mated  to  another 
runt  or  a  Maltese  hen  pigeon,  I  gladly  seized 
an  opportunity  to  sell  the  homer  one  day. 

I  kept  him  for  two  years  and  although  I 
placed  him  in  a  pen  with  beautiful  young  runts 
and  hens,  he  refused  to  take  another  mate.  He 
lived  quietly  in  his  nests  and  dignifiedly  ate, 
bathed,  preened  his  feathers,  sunned  himself, 
and  took  his  jumping  and  flying  exercises,  but 
refused  to  mate  again.  He  was  true  to  his  first 
love. 

I  finally  sold  him  to  a  pigeon  breeder  who  se- 
cretly laughed  at  my  romance.  Two  years 
later  he  wrote  me  with  an  apology  that  my 
crested  beauty  had  died  as  he  had  lived,  a  dig- 
nified example  of  lasting  affection.  I  never 
heard  whether  or  not  his  mate  was  equally  as 
true. 

It  is  next  to  impossible  to  distinguish  the 
male  from  the  female  as  they  fly  about  the 
pens.  The  only  really  infallible  way  is  to  note 
when  the  male  drives  the  female  to  her  nest, 
or,  if  they  are  nesting,  to  note  by  the  time  of 


70  PIGEON   RAISING 

day;  for  when  there  are  eggs  or  young  squabs, 
the  male  goes  on  the  nest  about  ten  in  the  morn- 
ing and  remains  until  four  in  the  afternoon, 
when  the  female  goes  on  and  remains  until  re- 
lieved by  the  male  the  following  morning  at 
ten. 

These  habits  are  sure  and  regular  as  clock 
work,  and  I  have  never  known  pigeon  experts 
use  any  other  means  of  securing  a  mated  pair. 
This  fact  will  sometimes  cause  pigeon  raisers 
to  make  blunders  as  in  the  following  incident: 

One  morning  there  was  great  commotion  in 
the  market  pen.  A  pigeon  was  wildly  flying 
about  from  nest  to  nest  pecking  at  the  half- 
grown  squabs  in  a  frenzy.  Thinking,  of  course, 
the  bird  was  a  bad-tempered  bachelor,  I  chased 
him  out  of  the  house,  caught  him  with  a  net, 
and  threw  him  rather  roughly  into  the  bachelor 
pen. 

He  lit  on  the  roof  of  the  little  house  among 
a  dozen  or  more  bachelors.  The  poor  thing 
crouched  down  in  seeming  agony,  and,  suppos- 
ing I  had  unwittingly  injured  it,  I  watched  a 
moment  before  I  noticed  the  faces  of  the  bach- 
elors. Instead  of  bowing  and  cavorting  around 
in  sarcastic  welcome  as  they  usually  did  when  I 
added  a  new  member  to  their  pen,  they  stood 
silent  and  awe-stricken,  with  horror  and  help- 


NATURE   AND   HABITS       71 

less  sympathy  vividly  depicted  on  their  expres- 
sive faces. 

Turning  again  to  the  subject  of  this  unusual 
emotion,  I  saw  her  crouch,  for  it  indeed  proved 
to  be  a  female,  and  rise  high  on  Her  feet  sev- 
eral times  in  great  agony,  and  then  with  a  final 
effort,  an  egg  rolled  out  and  down  the  sloping 
roof,  crashing  on  the  cement  below. 

What  I  had  supposed  to  be  a  bachelor  was 
an  eggbound  female,  the  only  case,  so  far  as  I 
know,  that  occurred  during  my  experience  in 
pigeon  raising.  But  I  have  heard  that  they 
suffer  untold  agony.  Doubtless,  my  rough 
treatment  gave  her  ultimate  relief.  It  was  cu- 
rious, however,  that  the  bachelors  should  have 
recognized  her  trouble  and  sympathized  with 
her,  and  in  so  doing  had  attracted  my  attention 
to  her.  I  gently  caught  her  with  my  hand  and 
placed  her  alone  in  a  box  with  food  and  water 
for  a  few  hours,  then  let  her  loose,  when  she 
seemed  recovered,  and  flew  happily  to  her 
nest  where  her  mate  greeted  her  lovingly. 

Many  times  pigeons  are  extremely  kind  and 
charitable  to  one  another.  Once  one  of  my  fe- 
male runts  died,  leaving  a  pair  of  featherless 
squabs,  and  the  feeding  and  hovering  devolved 
entirely  on  the  widowed  father.  Just  above 
his  nests  lived  a  pair  of  homers  with  squabs  of 


72  PIGEON   RAISING 

the  same  age.  These  homers  came  down  daily 
and  assisted  the  bereaved  father  to  feed  and 
hover  his  little  ones  until  they  were  old  enough 
to  leave  the  nest. 

Mr.  Bronze  Tumbler  had  one  of  his  estab- 
lishments in  one  side  of  an  orange  box,  while 
the  Newlyweds  were  setting  up  housekeeping 
on  the  other  side.  In  the  partition  between  was 
a  large  knot-hole  through  which  Bronze  Tum- 
bler watched  the  proceedings  of  the  young 
couple  while  he  hovered  his  week-old  squabs. 
As  the  young  couple  flew  back  and  forth  with 
straws,  Mr.  Bronze,  with  a  mischievous  look 
on  his  comical  little  face,  drew  straw  after 
straw  through  the  knot-hole  until  he  was  well- 
nigh  buried  in  loot.  His  neighbors  opposite 
seeing  what  he  was  up  to  telegraphed  the  news 
down  the  line,  and  everybody  that  was  off  duty 
flew  to  see  the  fun,  while  those  attending  to 
eggs  or  squabs  craned  their  heads  out  of  the 
nests  to  hear  the  chattering. 

Then  the  little  bride,  coming  in  to  settle  her 
furniture,  became  cognizant  of  the  cruel  joke 
that  had  been  played  upon  them  and  was  at 
once  the  picture  of  hurt  dejection;  I  really  felt 
like  offering  her  my  handkerchief  to  wipe  away 
her  tears,  for  the  other  pigeons  were  having  no 
end  of  amusement  at  her  expense.  In  flies  Mr, 


NATURE   AND  HABITS       73 

Newlywed  and  takes  in  the  situation  at  a  glance, 
and  immediately  prepares  for  war.  Little 
Tumbler  nimbly  extricates  himself  from  straws 
and  squabs  and  quickly  flies  out  of  the  window, 
the  bridegroom  in  hot  pursuit. 

Then  up  steps  Mr.  Pouter  in  all  the  gallant 
grandeur  of  inflated  crop  to  offer  sympathy  to 
the  bride.  Back  comes  Mr.  N.  from  a  fruitless 
search  and  finds  the  officious  pouter  neatly  bal- 
ancing himself  on  the  bride's  threshold  while 
he  cooes  condolingly.  This  is  too  much  I  The 
battle  royal  begins.  Down  on  the  floor  they 
tumble  where  they  bat  at  each  other  with  out- 
spread wings,  the  pouter  towering  high  with 
his  superior  height  and  spindling  legs.  Through 
the  entire  length  of  the  loo-foot  house  heads 
are  poked  out  from  nests  piled  up  high  on 
either  side,  while  the  little  bride  demurely  sets 
to  work  drawing  the  stolen  straws  back  through 
the  knot-hole,  and  the  mischievous  Mr.  Tum- 
bler creeps  back  to  his  squabs. 

If  pigeons  have  a  sufficient  number  of  roomy, 
comfortable  nests  and  are  well-fed,  they  will 
begin  to  lay  as  soon  as  their  squabs  get  their 
feathers.  They  are,  however,  like  human 
beings  and  have  likes  and  dislikes.  Some 
prefer  to  nest  in  dark,  cold  corners,  or  on  the 
floor,  while  others  will  breed  only  if  they  can 


74  PIGEON  RAISING 

obtain  a  high  dry  nest  where  a  few  rays  of  sun- 
shine can  reach. 

I  had  some  pigeons  nesting  in  a  dark  corner 
of  the  pigeon  house,  all  first-class  breeders  ex- 
cept one  pair,  and  they  never  had  squabs.  I 
took  this  pair  out  and  placed  them  in  a  small 
pen  and  open  house  where  the  sun  reached 
their  nests  the  first  thing  in  the  morning.  They 
became  my  finest  breeders.  I  always  found  it 
profitable  to  humor  their  whims. 

It  is  a  laughable  sight  to  see  the  male  driv- 
ing the  female  to  her  nest.  He  pecks  at  her 
and  chases  her  all  over  the  house  and  yard  un- 
til she  finally  gives  in  and  settles  down  on  her 
nest,  when  he  becomes  all  devoted  attention  and 
brings  extra  nesting  material  to  make  her  com- 
fortable. Then  she,  in  a  forgiving  spirit,  grate- 
fully kisses  him  and  tucks  the  straws  beneath 
her. 

The  feeding  of  squabs  by  their  parents  is  the 
most  marvelous  thing  in  nature. 

I  have  stated  that  the  male  takes  his  regular 
turn  on  tire  nest.  As  the  time  approaches  for 
the  eggs  to  hatch,  a  thin  watery  substance 
torms  in  the  crops  of  both  parents  which  is 
called  pigeon  milk,  and  this  they  begin  feeding 
to  their  young  after  they  are  a  few  hours  old. 
Gradually  the  milk  becomes  less  digested  until, 


NATURE   AND   HABITS       75 

by  the  time  the  squabs  are  fully  feathered,  it  is 
whole  grain  soaked  in  water.  A  pigeon  always 
eats  all  he  can,  then  fills  his  crop  with  water. 

As  soon  as  it  is  time  for  the  milk  to  form 
for  the  new  babies,  the  parents  drive  the  older 
ones  off  the  nest  to  shift  for  themselves,  if  they 
have  not  already  gone  of  their  own  accorok.  It 
is  then  time  for  the  breeder  to  remove  them 
to  a  youngster  pen,  at  the  same  time  pulling  out 
their  tail  feathers,  on  the  principle,  I  suppose, 
of  cutting  off  a  child's  hair  to  increase  its  size 
and  strength.  From  the  market  pen  they  are 
shipped  before  they  are  old  enough  to  leave 
the  nest — between  three  and  four  weeks  old. 

The  milk  flows  easily  from  the  parent's  bill 
into  that  of  the  baby  squab  as  she  or  he  hovers 
it,  but  when  it  becomes  less  digested  it  requires 
much  labor  and  the  parent  is  obliged  to  stand. 
That  is  the  reason  the  nests  should  be  large, 
with  a  wide  platform  before  them,  otherwise 
they  will  become  discouraged  and  will  not 
breed,  especially  the  English  runt,  which  is  the 
largest  known  pigeon.  Under  proper  condi- 
tions I  have  found  the  runt  to  be  as  prolific  a 
breeder  as  the  homer  and  hen  pigeons. 

Pigeons  have  the  reputation  of  eating  off 
their  heads,  but  the  pigeon  raiser  must  take 
into  consideration  that  he  is  feeding  four  in- 


76  PIGEON  RAISING 

stead  of  two.  The  exertion  is  so  great  in  feed- 
ing their  young  that  the  parents  should  not  be 
obliged  to  go  far  for  food  and  water,  and  I 
have  found  that  they  do  better  with  small  fly- 
pens. 

I  placed  six  pairs  in  a  roomy  house  with  a 
fly-pen  six  by  ten  for  one  year.  In  that  year  I 
took  out  of  that  pen  120  healthy,  strong  squabs 
and  the  parents  were  in  prime  condition. 

It  is  cruel  and  unprofitable  to  be  rough  and 
unkind  to  breeding  pigeons.  I  should  just  as 
soon  maltreat  a  nursing  mother.  If  the  par- 
ents are  frightened  while  they  are  with  milk  it 
injures  the  baby  squabs.  At  the  time  of  the 
great  earthquake  in  1906  I  lost  every  baby 
squab  on  my  place. 

I  always  employed  gentle,  quiet  men  to  work 
on  my  place.  Occasionally  you  can  find  a  suit- 
able boy,  but  I  prefer  a  gentle,  kindly  old  man, 
a  man,  perhaps,  that  can  be  gotten  at  the  poor- 
house,  who  is  glad  to  come  for  a  comfortable 
living  and  ten  dollars  a  month,  and  enjoys  pot- 
tering about  the  pigeons  and  place.  The  work 
is  really  not  heavy  enough  for  an  able-bodied 
man,  and  such  a  one  is  apt  to  be  impatient  and 
too  quick  in  moving  among  nesting  pigeons. 

If  for  any  reason  the  pigeons  in  milk  lose 
their  squabs,  the  pigeon  raiser  must  immedi- 


NATURE   AND   HABITS      77 

ately  take  a  squab  of  the  same  age  from  an- 
other nest  and  give  it  to  them.  If  they  do  not 
feed  off  the  milk  it  injures  them.  I  always  went 
through  my  houses  every  morning  and  exam- 
ined each  nest.  They  knew  and  loved  me  and 
had  confidence  that  I  would  not  injure  them. 


BREEDING 


CHAPTER   VI 

BREEDING 

V 

•> 

THE  pigeon  fancier  is  an  artist  among 
breeders  and  his  work  of  producing  liv- 
ing, highly  colored  models  of  beauty  is 
the  finished  work  of  the  painter.  His  object  in 
breeding  is  different  from  that  of  most  breed- 
ers in  being  solely  to  maintain  the  fancy  points 
of  color  and  outline,  with  no  reference  to  util- 
ity. His  material  is  the  most  impressionable, 
known,  and  being  wholly  artificial,  is  as  un- 
stable. Through  all  the  difficulties  of  fancy 
breeding  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  male 
influences  the  external  points  and  the  female, 
the  size,  structure,  and  constitution.  As  for  in- 
stance, if  a  carrier  cock  were  mated  to  a  runt 
female,  their  squabs  would  have  the  carrier's 
wattles  and  eye-cere  but  the  runt  size,  struc- 
ture, and  constitution.  Or  if  the  cock  was  a 
jacobin,  the  squabs  would  shine  forth  in  all  the 
glories  of  muffler  and  hood.  The  breeder 
should  select  his  ideal  and  work  until  he  gains 
his  point. 

81 


82  PIGEON   RAISING 

The  tendency  of  all  colors  is  to  pale,  and  in 
order  to  enrich  or  maintain  them,  birds  of  dif- 
ferent colors  must  be  bred  together.  As  a 
rule,  in  birds  of  the  same  blood,  the  young  fol- 
low in  color  and  marking  the  parent  of  the 
same  sex,  while  in  matings  of  different  colors 
and  of  different  strains  the  young  follow  the 
color  and  marking  of  the  opposite  sex. 

Some  simple  rules  for  breeding  for  color  are : 
black  and  red  produce  the  same  colors  solid, 
but  intensified;  blue  and  silver  produce  the 
same  colors  solid,  but  intensified;  black  and  sil- 
ver, dun;  white  is  splashed  or  blotted  with 
whatever  it  is  blended;  to  obtain  rainbow,  start 
with  white  and  blend  successively  with  red, 
blue,  and  silver  until  the  proper  scintillating  ef- 
fects are  obtained.  Blotches  may  be  the  first 
results,  but  persevere,  using  one  of  the  three 
colors  with  each  generation  until  the  desired 
effect  is  reached.  It  is  well  worth  the  trial. 
The  black  bars  so  highly  prized  in  the  mark- 
ings of  modern  blues  come  direct  from  their 
wild  projenitors. 

In  breeding  for  fancy,  or  thoroughbred, 
stock  a  strict  system  of  banding  must  be  ad- 
hered to.  To  entirely  control  his  future  work- 
ings the  breeder  should  band  his  squabs  while 
in  the  nest,  slipping  a  closed  band  over  one  foot 


BREEDING  83 

of  each  squab,  while  it  is  soft  and  pliable  (five 
days  old),  marked  with  a  number,  thus:  270, 
271.  Then  enter  these  numbers  in  a  record 
book,  with  the  date,  under  the  number  of  the 
nest  in  which  the  squabs  were  hatched.  The 
numbers  are  the  nest-mate  numbers.  When 
the  squabs  are  grown  into  pigeons  the  breeder 
adds  to  his  record  the  color,  marking  and  sex, 
thus: 

n.  24— ps.  125  &  130,  ns.  7  &  10. 
Jan.  1913.  270—5.  b.  cock 
271 — b.  b.  hen 
Mar.  "    272 — b.  b.  hen 

This  means  nest  24,  parents  125  and  130 
from  nests  7  and  10.  Date  of  hatch,  January, 
1913.  270  and  271  are  nest-mates  (in  fact  all 
squabs  from  ps.  125  &  130  are  nest-mates)  — 
the  cock  being  silver-barred  and  the  hen  blue- 
barred.  March,  1913,  272,  a  blue-barred  hen, 
was  the  only  occupant  of  nest  24. 

As  pigeons  never  change  their  nests,  by 
means  of  this  record  book  the  breeder  can  trace 
back  the  genealogy  of  a  pigeon  for  generations. 
If  one  of  the  parents  dies  and  a  new  mate  is 
taken,  the  breeder  simply  draws  a  line  beneath 
the  last  hatch  and  starts  anew,  thus: 

n.  24— ps.  125  &  200,  ns.  7  &  40. 


84  PIGEON   RAISING 

By  looking  up  nests  7  and  40  the  breeder  can 
in  a  few  moments  tell  who  125  and  200  are 
and  their  colors,  marking,  and  ages,  and  so  on 
as  long  as  the  book  stands. 

With  regard  to  the  age  of  breeding  pigeons, 
cocks  have  been  known  to  breed  healthy,  strong 
squabs  at  fifteen  years  of  age,  but,  of  course, 
they  were  mated  to  young  hens. 

On  no  account  allow  nest-mates  to  mate, 
though  this  never  occurs  if  there  are  other  birds 
to  choose  from. 

Although  it  is  well  to  allow  birds  to  choose 
their  own  mates  ordinarily,  the  breeder  re- 
quires the  use  of  a  mating  coop  when  he  is  de- 
sirous of  making  special  points  in  breeding. 
This  coop  has  two  compartments  with  a  remov- 
able wire  partition  through  which  the  birds 
may  see  each  other.  Leave  them  for  a  day  or 
two  and  if  they  appear  friendly  and  the  cock  is 
doing  everything  he  can  to  fascinate  the  hen, 
remove  the  partition  and  leave  them  until  the 
hen  returns  the  cock's  caresses,  then  turn  them 
into  the  pen  intended  for  them.  Such  a  coop  is 
three  feet  long,  two  feet  wide,  and  two  feet 
high. 

Black  meat  squabs  are  looked  upon  as  a 
blemish  on  the  breeder's  skill,  and  the  moment 
one  is  discovered  it  is  expelled  and  his  progeni- 


BREEDING  85 

tors  are  looked  up  at  once.  They  come  from 
no  particular  breed  or  color,  but  from  in- 
breeding. 

The  pigeon  is  unique  among  the  feathered 
creation  in  the  positive  similarity  of  the  sexes, 
the  habits  during  incubation,  the  provision  for, 
and  manner  of,  feeding  the  young,  the  helpless 
and  crude  condition  of  the  young  when  it  leaves 
the  shell,  and  its  rapid  development  and  early 
maturity.  In  structural  points  there  are  also 
peculiar  differences.  The  long  intestine  is  of 
greater  length  than  in  any  other  bird,  some  va- 
rieties lack  the  oil-gland,  while  all  are  without 
the  gall-bladder.  This  latter  deficiency  in  its 
digestive  make-up  accounts  for  the  inordinate 
desire  for  salt,  characteristic  of  no  other  bird, 
which  must  be  considered  a  craving  for  an  ab- 
solute essential  to  its  healthful  existence.  The 
dangers  from  the  lack  of  a  plentiful  supply  of 
salt  I  have  explained  in  another  chapter. 

Another  peculiar  feature  of  the  pigeon  is 
that  the  shafts  of  his  feathers  are  short  and 
downless  with  but  slight  hold  on  the  skin.  All 
varieties  shed  a  peculiar  dust  from  the  plumage 
in  greater  or  less  quantities,  so  that  any  place 
they  occupy  will  in  time  be  covered  with  a 
peculiar  bloom  called  pigeon  dust. 

As  the  fancy  breeder  breeds  for  perfection, 


86  PIGEON   RAISING 

after  whatever  model  he  selects,  he  does  not 
allow  his  birds  to  breed  more  than  once  or 
twice  a  year,  so  that  the  accumulated  strength 
of  the  parents  may  go  into  the  young;  this  is 
especially  true  in  breeding  record  homers.  For 
market  stock  it  is  different.  I  believe  young 
pigeons  of  any  of  the  various  breeds  I  have 
here  mentioned  can  be  taken  and,  giving  them 
proper  conditions,  first-class  breeders  can  be 
made  from  them.  In  selecting  breeds  for  mar- 
ket, however,  the  breeder  must  conform  to  the 
requirements  of  the  market.  Birds  too  closely 
bred  will  make  poor  breeders. 

Squabs  that  are  slow  to  learn  to  eat  may  be 
fattened  and  taught  to  eat  by  hand  feeding 
with  hemp  and  millet  seed  slightly  moistened 
with  salted  water  and  a  little  fine  gravel  or  grit. 
Some  breeders  blow  in  soft  food  through  a 
syringe  into  the  squab's  crop.  I  have  never 
tried  it,  but  have  heard  it  is  constantly  done  in 
Europe.  There  are  even  professional  squab- 
feeders. 

BREEDING  FOR  MARKET 

My  experience  ran  over  many  known  breeds 
of  pigeons  and,  for  health,  strength,  size, 
shape,  prolific  breeders,  and  market  value,  1 


BREEDING  87 

give  the  preference  to  the  runt-Maltese  hen 
crosses.  For  breeders,  squabs  of  the  first  cross; 
for  market,  squabs  of  the  second  cross. 

For  instance,  I  put  my  young  thoroughbred 
stock,  which  was  thoroughbred  Maltese  hens 
and  English  runts,  in  a  pen  by  themselves  and 
allowed  them  to  choose  their  own  mates.  ^fter 
I  saw  that  they  were  well  mated — good  breed- 
ers— I  took  the  runts  that  were  mated  with 
runts  and  hen  pigeons  that  were  mated  with  hen 
pigeons  and  placed  them  back  in  the  thorough- 
bred pens.  The  runts  and  hen  pigeons  that 
were  mated  together  I  placed  in  the  breeders' 
pen.  The  young  stock  from  the  breeders'  pen 
was  placed  in  a  pen  by  itself,  and  when  they 
paired  and  the  pairs  were  found  to  be  good 
breeders  they  were  placed  in  the  market  pen. 
One  can  readily  see  that  by  this  method  the 
stock  is  constantly  increasing  and  there  is  abso- 
lutely no  danger  of  inbreeding  in  the  breeder 
and  market  stock  pens,  a  watch  only  having  to 
be  kept  on  the  thoroughbred  pens  which  have 
only  a  few  dozen  in  each. 

Occasionally,  you  will  find  birds  that  are 
barren,  or  that  lay  infertile  eggs.  Do  not  dis- 
card these  birds  as  they  are  invaluable  as  nur- 
sery maids.  Put  them  in  a  pen  by  themselves 
and  give  them  the  eggs  from  either  some  finq 


88  PIGEON   RAISING 

breeders,  or  birds  that  are  inferior  parents,  to 
raise.  I  have  also  given  them  half-grown 
squabs  to  feed  after  I  had  sold  off  their  par- 
ents, or  young  squabs  that  were  being  raised 
for  breeders  that  were  slow  about  learning  to 
eat. 

Watch  for  the  female  nursery  maid  to  retire 
to  her  nest  to  try  to  lay.  After  a  few  hours,  or, 
perhaps,  the  next  day,  cautiously  slip  in  a 
freshly  laid  egg  of  some  other  pigeon  and  a 
day  or  two  later  slip  in  another.  I  have  even 
placed  two  at  once  ond  the  foster-mother  did 
not  appear  to  know  the  difference.  She  may 
fly  off  the  nest  each  time,  but  as  soon  as  you  are 
gone  she  will  return  and  there  will  be  great  re- 
joicing in  the  little  household  at  finding  the  egg. 
Like  childless  human  beings,  these  nursery 
maids  are  always  glad  to  take  young  squabs  to 
feed  or  eggs  to  hatch,  and,  although  they  are 
incapable  of  reproducing  themselves,  the  pig- 
eon milk  forms  in  their  crops  for  other  pigeons' 
squabs.  By  taking  one  or  two  pairs  of  eggs  a 
year  from  good  breeders  you  obtain  more 
squabs  without  giving  the  breeders  the  exhaus- 
tive work  of  raising  and  feeding.  My  nursery 
maids  were  a  most  successful  part  of  my  pigeon 
plant.  I  raised  hundreds  of  extra  squabs  in 
this  way,  and  sometimes  squabs  that  would  oth- 


BREEDING  89 

erwise  have  died.  It  requires  about  seventeen 
days  for  pigeon  eggs  to  hatch. 

In  selling  mated  pairs  it  must  be  remem- 
bered not  to  sell  those  in  milk,  as  there  is  a 
chance  of  injuring  the  pigeons  so  that  they  will 
never  breed  again. 

Pigeon  raisers,  to  be  successful,  must  he  gen- 
tle and  kindly  disposed,  willing  to  spend  "many 
hours  in  studying  their  charges.  I  learned  to 
recognize  every  pigeon  in  my  flock.  Every 
face  seemed  to  have  a  different  expression,  in 
which  I  could  read  their  joys  and  sorrows. 

It  is  indeed  a  thankless  employment  selling 
pigeons  for  breeding.  As  I  have  already  stated 
it  is  purely  optional  with  pigeons  whether  they 
breed  or  not. 

It  is  always  a  lottery  when  you  sell  mated 
pairs  whether  they  will  be  happy  in  their  new 
quarters  and  willing  to  raise  a  family.  But  this 
the  pigeon  raiser  cannot  make  the  buyer  believe 
or  understand,  and  if  his  mated  pairs  do  not  set 
to  work  nest-building  he  immediately  accuses 
the  seller  of  rank  deception.  Whereas,  the 
fault  may  lie  entirely  with  his  own  manage- 
ment and  treatment  of  his  purchase,  or  the 
birds  may  be  afflicted  with  incurable  homesick- 
ness for  their  friends  and  surroundings.  This 
Js  the  reason  I  invariably  advise  the  purchase 


90  PIGEON   RAISING 

of  youngsters  in  order  that  they  may  be  allowed 
to  grow  up  together  and  become  attached  to 
their  surroundings.  The  results  are  surer  and 
more  satisfactory,  even  if  one  does  get  a  few 
odd  ones;  for,  as  it  is  difficult  to  recognize  the 
old  ones  apart,  it  is  impossible  to  distinguish 
between  the  male  and  female  when  they  are 
young. 

I  have  shipped  pigeons  to  British  Columbia 
and  Honolulu  with  the  greatest  success  and 
failed  utterly  in  those  I  have  sold  within  a  few 
miles.  In  my  own  experience  I  have  had  the 
greatest  success  in  buying  outside  stock,  but,  al- 
though my  houses  were  not  up-to-date,  the  plant 
was  large  and  sunny  and  the  inhabitants  so  nu- 
merous and  happy  that  newcomers  did  not  feel 
like  moping. 

A  lady,  one  day,  selected  a  beautiful  pair  of 
silver  runts  to  be  sent  to  her  home  in  Victoria, 
B.  C.  She  asked  me  not  to  ship  them  for  ten 
days  as  she  wished  to  return  and  make  ready 
for  them.  It  was  decided  that  I  should  start 
them  on  their  journey  on  the  morning  of  April 
lyth.  It  was  in  the  year  1906. 

I  put  them  in  a  strong,  roomy  box,  well 
sanded  with  white  sand,  and  I  nailed  on  the  in- 
side a  feed  box,  salted  grit  box,  and  water  cup 
with  an  attached  funnel  for  refilling,  and  se* 


BREEDING  91 

curely  tied  a  strong  muslin  sack  of  assorted 
grain  to  the  slats  on  top.  The  birds  and  their 
equipment  were  the  admiration  of  all  that  saw 
them.  But  the  expressman,  after  asserting  that 
it  would  take  but  three  days  to  reach  their  des- 
tination, laughingly  said  I  had  supplied  them 
with  enough  grain  for  a  three  weeks'  jounney. 

The  next  morning  at  five  o'clock  came'  the 
terrible  earthquake  of  April  i8th,  1906.  Later 
in  the  day,  after  I  had  summed  up  my  com- 
paratively few  losses,  I  congratulated  myself  on 
having  gotten  the  silver  runts  off  early  the  pre- 
vious day,  believing  they  were  then  well  on 
their  journey.  Three  weeks  later  I  received  a 
letter  from  the  lady  saying  the  birds  had  just 
arrived  but  in  excellent  condition.  They  had 
been  detained  in  Oakland  over  the  night  of  the 
1 7th,  and  for  much  longer  after  the  i8th,  and, 
finally,  were  shipped  by  sea.  It  was  most  for- 
tunate that  they  had  gotten  out  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, otherwise,  they  must  have  perished  in  the 
fire  that  immediately  followed  the  earthquake. 


DISEASE    AND    FEEDING 


CHAPTER  VII 

DISEASE  AND  FEEDING 

r 

WITH  ordinary  humane  attention  the 
pigeon  in  captivity  is  a  remarkably 
healthy  bird.  I  gave  my  birds  good, 
pure  running  water  and  the  best  of  feed  and, 
although  I  left  the  nests  alone,  merely  cleaning 
the  floors,  I  never  had  that  much  dreaded  dis- 
ease, canker,  after  I  once  got  my  flock  well 
regulated  as  to  breeding.  This  disease,  I  be- 
lieve, comes  from  inbreeding  and,  likely,  from 
improper  food  and  water,  but  never  from  ex- 
terior contact  with  the  manure,  which  is  too 
strong  with  ammonia  to  be  uncleanly  or  un- 
healthy. 

Some  pigeon  raisers  think  canker  comes 
from  close  confinement  and  la  ck  ~b f  ex*eTci§e7 " 
but  that  cannot  be  as  some  of  my  fly-pens  were 
extremely  small.  Pigeons  are  natural  athletes 
and,  in  close  confinement,  regularly  go  through 
a  sort  of  physical  culture  exercise.  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful sight  to  see  them,  many  times  resembling 
graceful  ballet  dancers  in  the  butterfly  dance. 

95 


06  PIGEON   RAISING 

I  have  seen  a  hundred  or  more  practicing  these 
exercises  at  the  same  time. 

Another  beautiful  sight  is  to  see  them  in  a 
first  shower.  Five  or  six  hundred  of  my  birds 
at  a  time  would  lie  first  on  one  side  and  then  on 
the  other  on  the  ground,  or  roof,  with  first  one 
wing  and  then  the  other  raised  high  to  catch  the 
first  drops  of  a  storm.  It  is  indeed  a  sight 
worth  witnessing. 

As  they  are  almost  amphibious,  storms  do 
not  prevent  them  from  taking  their  regular  ex- 
ercise. Many  times  I  have  marketed  fine, 
healthy  squabs  from  wet,  soggy  nests  because 
of  their  parents'  love  of  nesting  on  the  floor 
where  storms  from  the  south  could  reach  them. 

The  only  other  disease  I  have  had  experi- 
ence with  is  "going  light."  The  pigeon  loses 
all  flesh  and  becomes  as  light  in  weight  as  his 
own  feathers.  The  preventive  of  this  is  simple. 
Of  course,  a  plentiful  supply  of  good  feed  and 
water  is  understood.  Besides,  keep  grit,  shells, 
and  salty  water  constantly  before  them.  The 
free  pigeon  searches  until  he  finds  them;  the 
imprisoned  pigeon  is  dependent  on  his  care- 
taker for  his  supply  of  these  chief  essentials  to 
his  diet.  Without  them,  he  loses  all  appetite 
and  goes  into  a  decline. 

Fill  a  small  dish  half  full  with  rock-salt  and 


DISEASE   AND   FEEDING     97 

fill  it  up  with  water,  stirring  it  well.  They  will 
drink  the  water  and  keep  well.  I  usually  sim- 
plified matters  by  pouring  a  strong  solution  of 
rock-salt  over  the  grit.  Undissolved  salt,  salt 
in  grain,  is  not  good  for  them,  they  eat  too 
much  and  I  have  known  them  to  die  almost  im- 
mediately. 

Broken  oyster  shells  and  grit,  the  latter  with 
a  strong  solution  of  salt  poured  over  it,  should 
be  kept  in  dishes  convenient  for  them.  I  kept 
mine  in  the  yard  near  the  feeders.  If  the  con- 
tents of  these  dishes  become  soiled  with  ma- 
nure, wash  them  off  and  pour  fresh  salty  water 
over  the  grit.  I  kept  rock-salt  in  solution  con- 
stantly on  hand,  adding  more  as  it  dissolved. 

Pigeons  never  over-eat  themselves,  and  I 
should  as  soon  stint  the  food  supply  of  a  nurs- 
ing mother  as  a  breeding  pigeon.  If  you  do 
not  give  them  good  and  varied  food,  they  have 
their  revenge  by  giving  you  empty  nests.  Pig- 
eons also  never  eat  unclean  food.  If  swill  or 
scraps  are  thrown  into  a  pigeon  yard  the  pig- 
eons will  look  at  it  in  wonder  but  never  touch 
it.  They  are  even  chary  of  taking  up  with  a 
new  variety  of  grain,  but  they  will  never  touch 
filth  of  any  kind,  while  the  highest  bred  chicken 
will  greedily  devour  the  foulest  kind  of  filth 
from  both  animals  and  humans. 


98  PIGEON   RAISING 

A  squab  never  has  anything  but  the  cleanest 
of  food  which  makes  him  far  better  food  for 
an  invalid  or  aged  person.  For  this  reason 
doctors  and  nurses  appreciate  them  as  valuable 
rejuvenators  for  building  up  weak  invalids. 

Keep  the  cheapest  feed  constantly  before 
them  in  feeders  and  feed  the  more  expensive 
twice  a  day,  in  the  morning  when  the  female 
comes  off  her  long  night's  vigil,  and  in  the  aft- 
ernoon after  the  male  comes  off.  Be  regular 
and  prompt  and  they  will  know  what  to  expect; 
then  the  bird  on  the  nest  will  not  fly  off  for  a 
change  of  diet  thus  chilling  babies  or  eggs,  or 
one  parent  will  not  have  all  the  dainties  while 
the  other  has  cheap  feed. 

At  the  time  of  my  experience  (from  1903 
to  1908)  I  found  chevalier  barley  the  cheap- 
est. I  also  found  it  the  most  beneficial. 
Bearded  barley  is  not  so  good  and  is  quite  as 
expensive  in  the  end,  as  the  heads  are  not  so 
full  and  perfect  and  you  are  paying  for  a  lot 
of  weight  in  beards;  besides,  pigeons  do  not 
care  for  it. 

Barley  keeps  them  lively  and  well  without 
making  them  too  fat.  It  is  an  all-around-the- 
year  feed,  and  if  the  pigeon  breeder  has  a  place 
to  store  it,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  buy  in  a  year's 
supply  when  the  crop  first  comes  in. 


DISEASE   AND   FEEDING     99 

Egyptian  corn  is  the  next  safe  and  staple 
pigeon  grain  for  all  the  year  round,  but  is  more 
expensive.  Through  the  summer  months  I  fed 
it  twice  daily,  one  day  with  Canadian  peas  and 
next  day  with  red  wheat.  In  the  winter  I  fed 
it  every  other  day  with  peas,  and  the  other 
days  I  fed  red  wheat  with  whole  Indian  corh, 
which  is  too  heating  for  summer.  There  is  a 
frightful  waste  in  cracked  corn.  Give  pigeons 
plenty  of  grit  and  salty  water  and  they  can 
easily  digest  the  large  kernels. 

I  always  kept  hemp  and  millet  seeds  to  feed 
one  or  twice  a  week  to  the  youngsters  I  was 
raising  for  breeders.  They  are  the  most  ex- 
pensive grains,  but  a  sack  of  each  lasts  for  a 
long  time  with  careful  feeding. 

An  alfalfa  patch  materially  cuts  down  the 
grain  bill  by  being  a  beneficial  food  and  it  is 
likewise  useful  for  nesting  material.  I  had  a 
patch  forty-six  by  thirty-five  feet,  with  two 
faucets  and  a  drain  pipe  from  the  main  pigeon 
pen  for  irrigation.  With  a  sickle  I  cut  two 
sacks  full,  that  is,  two  sacks  laid  on  the  ground 
and  piled  up  as  high  as  I  could  carry  them  with- 
out spilling,  every  morning  all  the  year  round, 
when  it  was  not  raining.  By  the  time  I  had 
reached  the  lower  end  of  the  patch,  the  upper 
end  was  ready  to  cut.  I  scattered  it  on  the 


100  PIGEON   RAISING 

ground  in  different  pens  and  the  pigeons  greed- 
ily ate  off  the  leaves  and  tender  part,  leaving  the 
stalks  to  dry  for  nesting  material. 

When  raising  pigeons  wholesale,  grain  must 
be  bought  wholesale;  that  is,  buy  direct  from 
wholesale  grain  dealers  and  they  will  buy  back 
the  sacks  at  highest  figures ;  for  instance,  when 
junkmen  and  retail  merchants  offer  two  and  a 
half  or  three  cents  a  piece,  the  wholesale  grain 
dealers  will  give  five  cents  straight.  My  grain 
sacks  always  paid  for  the  grit,  shells,  and  rock- 
salt  I  used.  I  have  dealt  with  both  retail  and 
wholesale  dealers  so  I  know  the  difference  in 
prices  for  I  have  bought  tons  and  tons  of 
grain. 

I  made  out  a  list  of  the  grains  I  required 
through  the  year,  and  went  to  the  wholesale 
grain  dealers  and  selected  the  one  that  gave  me 
the  best  terms,  was  willing  to  secure  the  kinds 
of  grain  I  needed,  and  would  deliver  it  at  my 
place.  I  had  the  same  dealer  for  over  four 
years.  He  sent  long  distances  for  red  wheat 
and  peas  for  me,  always  gave  me  the  best 
quality  at  the  lowest  figures  he  could,  and  was 
ever  ready  and  willing  to  take  back  any  grain 
that  was  not  up  to  the  required  standard.  In 
return  for  this  square  dealing  I  recommended 
him  to  people  far  and  near. 

An   easy  way  to  test  the  quality  of  a  sack 


DISEASE   AND   FEEDING  161 

of  grain  without  opening  it  is  to  run  a  long  pen- 
cil in  the  meshes  of  the  sack  in  several  places. 
Loose  kernels  will  flow  out  from  the  center  of 
the  sack  and  thus  the  inner  contents  can  be 
closely  examined. 

There  is  a  great  deal  written  by  Eastern 
pigeon  men  about  the  sale  of  the  manure  pay- 
ing the  grain  bills.  I  tried  in  every  direction 
and  for  every  purpose  to  sell  the  tons  of  manure 
that  were  scraped  from  my  houses  and  yards, 
but  was  never  able  to  sell  a  penny's  worth.  It 
was  only  through  influence  and  scientific  dem- 
onstration that  I  was  enabled  to  give  it  away  to 
a  hospital  farm  as  a  fertilizer. 

From  my  observation  of  the  orchards  in 
the  surrounding  country  and  my  own  experi- 
ments with  two  trees.  I  believe  fruit  trees  re- 
quire as  much  and  as  careful  feeding  as  breeding 
pigeons.  It  seems  cruel  to  cull  crop  afer  crop 
from  trees  and  vineyard  without  once  renewing 
the  soil.  This  has  been  done  continually  with 
the  result  that  in  a  few  years  the  orchards  have 
become  exhausted.  Would  it  not  be  more 
profitable  to  spread  the  ground  with  manure  as 
soon  as  each  crop  is  gathered  and  let  the  rains 
gradually  wash  the  nourishment  into  the  soil? 
Trees  thus  treated  do  not  require  irrigation 
and  respond  gratefully  with  abundant  and  never 
failing  crops. 


MARKETING,  KILLING,  AND 
CURING  FEATHERS 


CHAPTER  VIII 

MARKETING,  KILLING,  AND  CURING  FEATHERS 

FOR  the  sure  and  steady  financial  returns 
the  pigeon  raiser  looks  to  his  market 
stock.      Here  he  does  not  have  to  deal 
with  persons  of  whims  and  fancies,   and  his 
square  dealing  is  understood  and  appreciated 
by  the  buyers. 

My  experience  in  this  kind  of  selling  has 
been  entirely  with  the  Western  market.  When 
I  was  first  looking  into  pigeon  raising  I  wrote 
to  many  places  in  San  Francisco  and  out  of  the 
replies  I  received  I  selected  two  large  and  well 
established  markets  whose  proprietors  wrote 
me  kind  and  courteous  letters,  saying  they  would 
take  all  the  squabs  I  could  send  them,  whether 
a  large  or  small  shipment,  and  would  give  me 
the  highest  market  prices.  They  added  that 
they  preferred  receiving  them  by  Friday  of 
each  week,  but  would  take  them  whenever  it 
was  most  convenient  for  me  to  send  them  and 
either  alive  or  dead. 

105 


106  PIGEON   RAISING 

I  shipped  to  these  same  men  exclusively  dur- 
ing the  entire  time  I  was  in  the  pigeon  business 
and  always  found  them  kind  and  considerate — 
prompt  in  payment  and  in  the  return  of  the 
shipping  baskets.  I  reciprocated  by  being 
equally  prompt  in  shipping  by  the  same  train  on 
the  same  day  of  each  week  and  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  same  number  of  squabs,  so  that 
they  could  count  on  my  supply.  And,  as  my 
squabs  were  first-class  in  every  way,  they  gave 
me  good  prices  all  the  year  round. 

I  had  eight  or  ten  strong,  roomy,  well-venti- 
lated baskets  made  at  a  basket  weaver's  for 
$2.25  a  piece.  There  was  a  partition  across  the 
center  to  prevent  crowding  into  one  corner  and 
causing  smothering,  and  as  my  squabs  were 
large,  I  rarely  put  more  than  eighteen  in  a 
basket — nine  on  a  side. 

I  cannot  remember  the  exact  dimensions  of 
these  baskets,  but  think  they  were  thirty  inches 
long  by  fifteen  wide  and  nine  inches  high.  Two 
of  these  nine  inches,  at  the  top,  were  open 
slats.  The  remainder  of  the  basket  was  closely 
woven.  The  opening  part  of  the  lid  was  five 
or  six  inches  wide,  running  the  full  length  of  the 
basket.  At  first  I  used  padlocks,  giving  the 
marketmen  duplicate  keys,  but  after  the  keys 
were  destroyed  in  the  fire  I  simply  tied  the 


MARKETING  107 

lids  down  with  stout  string  and  the  squabs  were 
shipped  in  perfect  safety. 

As  the  marketmen  could  make  better  rates, 
they  paid  the  expressage  and  deducted  the 
.amount  from  the  returns.  This  included  the 
Return  of  the  shipping  baskets.  The  expressage 
Was  light — something  like  four  baskets  for 
forty-five  cents. 

It  is  best  not  to  ship  exclusively  to  one  mar- 
ket for  fear  of  lowering  the  price. 

If  the  market  the  breeder  selects  demands 
Hressed  squabs,  or  if  the  breeder  wishes  to  take 
advantage  of  an  added  revenue  by  curing  the 
feathers,  of  course  it  is  to  his  advantage  to  do 
this  part  of  the  marketing  as  neatly  and  with 
as  much  dispatch  as  possible.  The  squabs 
should  be  gathered  the  day  before  they  are  to 
be  killed  and  confined  in  baskets  or  coops  of 
some  sort  where  they  may  keep  each  other 
Warm,  if  the  weather  is  cold;  but  not  too  many 
in  one  compartment  for  fear  some  will  be 
smothered.  The  reason  for  gathering  them  up 
so  early  is  that  the  crop  and  intestines  may  be- 
come entirely  emptied  of  all  undigested  and 
digested  food,  as  in  this  state  they  will  keep  for 
a  much  longer  time  after  being  killed.  Twenty- 
four  hours  is  the  length  of  time  usually  allowed. 
A  squab  is  ready  to  kill  when  it  is  plump  and 


108  PIGEON  RAISING 

well  feathered,  usually  between  three  and  four 
weeks  old.  They  need  not  be  feathered  under 
the  wings,  but  all  top  feathers  should  be  out. 

There  are  two  ways  of  killing  a  squab,  one 
with  a  killing  knife,  which  comes  especially  for 
the  purpose,  and  the  other  by  tweaking  the 
neck.  In  the  latter  method  hold  the  hands 
close  together  on  the  neck  next  the  head  and 
break  it  by  a  sudden  pull  forward  and  then 
push  back  quickly.  Too  much  strength  must 
not  be  used  or  the  head  will  come  off,  which 
must  not  occur  as  all  markets  require  the  heads 
left  on.  I  have  shipped  three  ways;  dressed, 
killed  and  unplucked,  and  alive. 

Whether  plucked  or  unplucked,  the  birds  must 
hang  suspended  by  the  feet  until  the  blood  runs 
out  of  the  body  or  they  will  bruise  in  packing. 
The  simplest  way  to  do  this  is  to  suspend  from 
the  ceiling  by  a  wire  at  each  end  a  piece  of 
studding  eight  or  ten  feet  long  with  two  nine- 
penny  wire  finish  nails  driven  close  enough  to- 
gether to  admit  of  squeezing  between  them  the 
feet  of  a  squab;  set  these  four  inches  apart  and 
above  each  place  a  number  on  the  studding.  If 
the  nails  are  numbered  the  squabs  will  not  have 
to  be  counted. 

As  each  squab  is  killed  it  is  hung  by  its  feet 
being    caught    between   the   two    nails    in   the 
Studding.    If  they  are  to  be  shipped  unplucked 


MARKETING  109 

they  are  allowed  to  hang  over  night  to  cool 
thoroughly  and  so  the  blood  may  drain  out  of 
the  body  into  the  head  before  shipping,  when 
they  can  be  graded;  tie  the  best  ones  in  bunches 
and  the  smaller  ones  together,  and  send  thus 
properly  ticketed  with  the  address  of  the  mar- 
ket and  that  of  the  shipper  and  number  of 
birds  in  the  bunch;  or  the  bunches  tied  in  a  sack 
and  ticketed.  There  is  less  likelihood  of  any 
of  the  bunches  being  lost  by  following  the  latter 
plan. 

No  matter  how  the  squab  breeder  ships  he 
must  grade  his  birds,  putting  the  largest  to- 
gether and  the  smaller  ones  by  themselves;  it 
is  also  best  to  send  the  same  grade  to  the  same 
market  each  time,  so  the  markets  will  know 
what  to  expect.  There  is  danger  of  lowering 
the  price  and  injuring  the  reputation  of  the 
pigeon  plant  by  mixing  grades. 

When  I  had  my  squabs  plucked  I  employed 
two  men  and  paid  them  by  the  squab — one  cent 
and  a  half.  They  could  kill,  pluck,  plunge 
into  water,  and  hang  up  to  dry  from  twenty- 
four  to  thirty  squabs  in  an  hour. 

While  one  man  was  getting  some  vessels  of 
water  ready,  the  other  started  in  to  kill  and 
hang  up;  then  the  other  followed  closely  with 
rough  picking,  beginning  at  the  neck  and  leav- 
ing atout  three-quarters  of  an  inch  next  the 


110  PIGEON   RAISING 

head  unpicked.  Care  must  be  used  not  to 
break  the  skin.  If  the  bird  is  well  fattened  the 
skin  is  not  easily  torn.  The  process  of  tweak- 
ing the  neck  also  stretches  the  neck  so  it  is 
not  easily  torn.  If  killed  with  the  killing  knife 
it  is  best  to  attach  a  weighted  wire  in  the  mouth. 
These  wires  are  six  inches  long,  hooked  and 
pointed  at  the  upper  end,  and  weighted  at  the 
lower  end  with  a  piece  of  lead  the  size  of  a 
small  walnut. 

As  soon  as  the  first  man  finishes  killing  he 
starts  in  to  pluck  out  the  pinfeathers  from  those 
"  rough  picked  " ;  in  this  operation  a  small  knife 
is  useful.  As  he  finishes  each  bird  he  washes 
out  the  mouth  and  the  feet  then  plunges  it 
into  a  tub  of  clean  cold  water  to  remove  the 
animal  heat  and  to  make  the  flesh  firm  and 
plump. 

As  soon  as  the  second  man  has  finished 
"  rough  picking  "  he  turns  in  to  help  the  other 
man  do  the  pinfeathering.  Together  they  take 
the  birds  from  the  water  and  hang  them  up 
for  five  minutes  to  drain.  By  the  time  the 
last  is  hung  up  the  first  are  ready  to  pack.  In 
this  way  two  men  have  handled  ten  dozen  birds 
in  from  four  to  five  hours. 

No  matter  how  the  birds  are  shipped  it  is  a 
distinct  advantage  that  the  market  stock  should 


MARKETING  111 

be  clean  limbed,  as  a  booted  bird  makes  that 
much  more  work  in  plucking. 

If  they  are  to  be  shipped  some  distance  and 
the  weather  is  warm  it  is  best  to  pack  them 
with  ice  in  boxes  or  kegs,  placing  a  layer  of 
cracked  ice  at  the  bottom,  and  alternating  with 
birds  and  ice,  finishing  with  a  generous  topping 
of  ice.  Place  a  secure  covering  over  this  and 
mark  full  directions  to  whom  shipped,  as  well 
as  the  address  of  the  shipper  and  the  number  of 
birds.  The  boxes  should  not  be  larger  than  two 
feet  square  and  one  foot  high. 

For  short  distances  I  have  merely  used  lay- 
ers of  lettuce  leaves  so  that  the  birds  would  not 
press  on  one  another.  Never  ship  in  anything 
made  of  pine  as  it  affects  the  flavor.  The  box 
or  keg  should  under  any  circumstances  be  lined 
with  cheap  .white  paper  so  that  the  birds  are 
not  in  direct  contact  with  the  wood. 

Pigeon  raisers  should  be  cautious  how  they 
antagonize  marketmen  by  working  up  private 
trade.  The  marketmen  can  at  any  time  under- 
sell him  and  throw  him  out  of  business,  and  still 
his  grain  bills  go  on. 

The  marketman  keenly  appreciates  a  pro- 
ducer that  upholds  him  in  his  business  and  he 
reciprocates  whenever  he  can  by  giving  good 
prices,  paid  in  prompt  checks,  and  the  quick 


112  PIGEON   RAISING 

return  of  the  baskets.  The  marketman  does 
not  charge  a  commission. 

If  squabs  are  shipped  alive  they  should  be 
sent  away  with  their  crops  full;  they  arrive  in 
much  better  shape  and  the  marketman  need 
not  feel  compelled  to  kill  them  right  away.  If 
feed  is  kept  constantly  in  the  pigeon  houses  or 
pens,  the  breeder  can  feel  sure  the  squabs  are 
fed,  even  though  he  commences  gathering  them 
before  seven. 

The  markets  will  not  pay  for  a  squab  that 
has  been  smothered  or  in  any  other  way  killed 
in  the  shipping. 

CURING  FEATHERS 

If  the  squabs  are  hung  up  immediately  after 
killing  there  is  not  much  trouble  about  the 
feathers  becoming  bloody,  but  if  they  should, 
it  is  an  easy  matter  to  clean  them.  In  placing 
the  squabs  in  their  coops  awaiting  the  killing, 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  put  all  the  light  squabs  in 
together  and  all  the  dark  ones  together,  so  that 
when  they  are  hung  up  for  picking  the  light 
feathers  will  be  separated  from  the  dark.  Take 
all  the  small  feathers  and  put  them  into  cheese 
cloth  bags;  then  put  them  in  a  sink  and  let  the 
water  run  over  and  through  them  until  it  runs 


MARKETING  113 

clear,  tossing  the  feathers  about  in  the  bag  and 
rubbing  them  against  each  other.  Gently 
squeeze  out  the  surplus  water  and,  if  it  is  a 
mild  climate,  hang  the  bags  on  the  clothesline 
in  the  open  air.  If  a  cold,  freezing  climate, 
hang  in  the  furnace  room  or  some  place  where 
it  is  warm  and  dry,  but  put  them  in  the  open 
air  whenever  the  weather  will  admit,  until  they 
plump  up  and  smell  clean  and  fresh. 


THE   END 


0  UTIX  G  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  —  NEW  YORK 


The  textl>°oh  for  ouf- 
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1.  EXERCISE  AND  HEALTH,  by  Dr. 
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for  most  of  us  is  to  get  enough  of  the  right  kind.  The 
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2.  CAMP  COOKERY,  by  Horace  Kephart. 
"The  less  a  man  carries  in  his  pack  the  more  he  must 
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3.  BACKWOODS       SURGERY       ANI> 
MEDICINE,  by  Charles  S.  Moody,  M.  D.      A 
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setting  a  broken  limb,  reducing  a  dislocation,  caring 
for  burns,  cuts,  etc.    Practical  remedies  for  camp  dis- 
eases are  recommended,  as  well  as  the  ordinary  indica- 
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of  the  necessary  medical  and  surgical  supplies. 

4.  APPLE  GROWING,  by  M.  C.  Burritt. 
The  various  problems  confronting  the  apple   grower, 
from  the  preparation  of  the  soil  and  the  planting  of  the 
trees  to  the  marketing  of  the  fruit,  are  discussed  in  de- 
tail by  the  author. 

5.  THE  AIREDALE,  by  Williams  Haynes. 
The  book  opens  with  a  short  chapter  on  the  origin  and 
development  of  the   Airedale,  as  a   distinctive   breed. 
The  author  then  takes  up   the  problems  of  type  as 
bearing  on  the  selection  of  the  dog,  breeding,  training 
and  use.    The   book  is   designed  for  the   non-profes- 
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which  does  not  involve  elaborate  preparations  or  ex- 
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dog  in  the  kennel  and  simple  remedies  for  ordinary 
diseases. 


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6.  THE   AUTOMOBILE— -Its    Selection, 
Care  and  Use,  by  Robert  Sloss.     This   is   a   plain, 
practical  discussion  of  the  things  that  every  man  needs 
to  know  if  he  is  to  buy  the  right  car  and  get  the  most 
out  of  it.    The  various  details  of  operation  and  care 
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use  his  car  for  the  greatest  pleasure.  • 

7.  FISHING  KITS  AND  EQUIPMENT, 
by  Samuel  G.  Camp.     A  complete  guide  to  the  ang- 
ler buying  a  new  outfit.    Every  detail  of  the  fishing  kit 
of  the  freshwater  angler  is  described,  from  rodtip  to 
creel,  and  clothing.     Special  emphasis  is  laid  on  put- 
fitting  for  fly  fishing,  but  full  instruction  is  also  given 
to  the  man  who  wants  to  catch  pickerel,  pike,  muskel- 
lunge,    lake-trout,    bass    and    other   freshwater    game 
fishes.    The  approved  method  of  selecting  and  testing 
the  various  rods,  lines,  leaders,  etc.,  is  described. 

8.  THE   FINE  ART   OF   FISHING,   by 
Samuel  G.  Camp.     Combine  the  pleasure  of  catching 
fish  with  the  gratification  of  following  the  sport  in  the 
most  approved  manner.    Che  suggestions  offered  are 
helpful  to  beginner  and  expert  anglers.    The  range  of 
fish  and  fishing  conditions  covered  is  wide  and  includes 
such  subjects  as  "Casting  Fine  and  Far  Off,"  "Strip- 
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"Autumn  Fishing  for  Lake  Trout."    The  book  is  per- 
vaded with  a  spirit  of  love  for  the  streamside  and  the 
out-doors  generally  which  the  genuine  angler  will  ap- 
preciate.   A   companion   book   to   "Fishing    Kits   and 
Equipment." 

9.  THE  HORSE— Its  Breeding,  Care  and 
Use,  by  David  Buffum.     Mr.  Buffum  takes  up  the 
common,   every-day  problems  of  the  ordinary  horse- 
users,  such  as  feeding,  shoeing,  simple  home  remedies, 
breaking  and  the  cure  for  various  equine  vices.    An 
important  chapter  is  that  tracing  the  influx  of  Arabian 
blood  into  the  English  and  American  horses  and  its 
value  and  limitations.    A  distinctly  sensible  book  for  the 
sensible  man  who  wishes  to  know  how  he  can  improve 
his  horses  and  his  horsemanship  at  the  same  time. 

19 


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10.  THE   MOTOR   BOAT— Its   Selection, 
Care  and  Use,  by  H.  W.  Slauson.    The     intending 
purchaser  is  advised  as  to  the  type  of  motor  boat  best 
suited  to  his  particular  needs  and  how  to  keep  it  in  run- 
ning condition  after  purchased. 

11.  OUTDOOR  SIGNALLING,  by  Elbert 
Wells.      Mr.  Wells  has  perfected  a  method  of  signall- 
ing by  means  of  wigwag,  light,  smoke,  or  whistle  which 
is  as  simple  as  it  is  effective.    The  fundamental  prin- 
ciple can  be  learned  in  ten  minutes  and  its  application 
is  far  easier  than  that  of  any  other  code  now  in  use. 

12.  TRACKS  AND  TRACKING,  by  Josef 
Brunner.     After  twenty  years  of  patient  study  and 
practical  experience,  Mr.  Brunner  can,  from  his  intimate 
knowledge,    speak    with    authority    on    this    subject. 
"Tracks  and  Tracking"  shows   how  to  follow  intelli- 
gently even  the  most  intricate  animal  or  bird  tracks; 
how  to  interpret  tracks  of  wild  game  and  decipher  the 
many  tell-tale  signs  of  the  chase  that  would  otherwise 
pass  unnoticed;  to  tell  from  the  footprints  the  name, 
sex,  speed,  direction,  whether  and  how  wounded,  and 
many  other  things  about  wild  animals  and  birds. 

13.  WING  AND  TRAP-SHOOTING,  by 
Charles  Askins.    Contains  a  full  discussion  of  the  var- 
ious methods,  such  as  snap-shooting,  swing  and  half- 
swing,  discusses  the  flight  of  birds  with  reference  to 
the  gunner's   problem  of  lead  and  range  and   makes 
special  application  of  the  various  points  to  the  different 
birds  commonly  shot  in  this  country.    A  chapter  is  in- 
cluded on  trap  shooting  and  the  book  closes  with  a 
forceful  and  common-sense  presentation  of  the  etiquette 
of  the  field. 

14.  PROFITABLE  BREEDS  OF  POUL- 
TRY, by  Arthur  S.  Wheeler.       Mr.   Wheeler   dis-" 
cusses  from  personal  experience  the  best-known  general 
purpose  breeds.    Advice  is  given  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  man  who  desires  results  in  eggs  and  stock  rather 
than  in  specimens  for  exhibition.    In  addition  to  a  care- 
ful analysis  of  stock — good  and  bad — and  some  conclu- 
sions regarding  housing  and  management,  the  author 
writes  in  detail  regarding  Plymouth  Rocks,  Wyandottes, 
Orpingtons,  Rhode  Island  Reds,  etc. 

20 


OUTING  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  — NEW  YORK 

15.  RIFLES  AND   RIFLE  SHOOTING, 
by  Charles  Askins.     A  practical  manual   describing 
various  makes  and  mechanisms,  in  addition  to  discuss- 
ing in  detail  the  range  and  limitations  in  the  use  of 
the  ririe.    Treats  on  the  every  style  and  make  of  rifle 
as  well  as  their  use.    Every  type  of  rifle  is  discussed  so 
that  the  book  is  complete  in  every  detail. 

16.  SPORTING  FIREARMS,  by  Horace 
Kephart.     This  book  is  the  result  of  painstaking  tests 
and    experiments.      Practically    nothing    is    taken    for 
granted.     Part  I  deals  with  the  rifle,  and  Part  II  with 
the  shotgun.    The  man  seeking  guidance  in  the  selec- 
tion and  use  of  small  firearms,  as  well  as  the  advanced 
student  of  the  subject,  will  receive  an  unusual  amount 
of  assistance  from  this  work. 

17.  THE  YACHTSMAN'S  HANDBOOK, 
by  Herbert  L.  Stone.     The  author  and  compiler  of 
this  work  is  the  editor  of  "Yachting."     He  treats  in 
simple  language  of  the  many  problems  confronting  the 
amateur  sailor  and  motor  boatman.     Handling  ground 
tackle,  handling  lines,  taking  soundings,  the  use  of  the 
lead  line,  care  and  use  of  sails,  yachting  etiquette,  are 
all  given  careful  attention.     Some  light  is  thrown  upon 
the  operation  of  the  gasoline  motor,  and  suggestions 
are  made  for  the  avoidance  of  engine  troubles. 

18.  SCOTTISH  AND  IRISH  TERRIERS, 
by  Williams  Haynes.     This  is  a  companion  book  to 
"The  Airedale,"  and  deals  with  the  history  and  develop- 
ment of  both  breeds.     For  the  owner  of  the  dog,  valu- 
able information  is  given  as  to  the  use  of  the  terriers, 
their  treatment  in  health,  their  treatment  when  sick,  the 
principles  of  dog  breeding,  and  dog  shows  and  rules. 

19.  NAVIGATION     FOR     THE     AMA- 
TEUR, by  Capt.  E.  T.  Morton.    A  short  treatise 
on  the  simpler  methods  of  finding  position  at  sea  by 
the  observation  of  the  sun's  altitude  and  the  use  of  the 
sextant  and  chronometer.     It  is  arranged  especially  for 
yachtsmen  and  amateurs  who  wish  to  know  the  simpler 
formulae  for  the  necessary  navigation  involved  in  tak- 
ing a  boat  anywhere  off  shore.    Illustrated, 

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DUT1NG  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  — NEW  YORK 

20.  OUTDOOR     PHOTOGRAPHY,     by 
IJulian  A.  Dimock.     A  solution  of  all  the  problems  in 
camera  work  out-of-doors.    The  various  subjects  dealt 
with  are:     The  Camera — Lens  and  Plates-^-Light  and 
Exposure— Development— Prints  and  Printing,  etc. 

21.  PACKING    AND    PORTAGING,    by 
Dillon  Wallace.     Mr.  Wallace  has  brought  together 
in  one  volume  all  the  valuable  information  on  the  differ- 
ent ways  of  making  and  carrying  the  different  kinds 
of    packs.    The    ground    covered    ranges    from    man- 
packing  to  horse-packing,  from  the  use  of  the  tump 
line  to  throwing  the  diamond  hitch. 

22.  THE  BULL  TERRIER,  by  Williams 
Haynes.     This  is  a  companion  book  to  "The  Airedale" 
and  "Scottish  and  Irish  Terriers"  by  the  same  author. 
Its  greatest  usefulness  is  as  a  guide  to  the  dog  owner 
who  wishes  to  be  his  own  kennel  manager.    A  full  ac- 
count of  the  development  of  the  breed  is  given  with  a 
description  of  best  types  and  standards.    Recommen- 
dations for  the  care  of  the  dog  in  health  or  sickness  are 
included. 

23.  THE   FOX   TERRIER,   by   Williams 
Haynes.    As  in  his  other  books  on  the  terrier,  Mr. 
Haynes  takes  up  the  origin  and  history  of  the  breed,  its 
types  and  standards,  and  the  more  exclusive  representa- 
tives down  to  the  present  time.    Training  the  Fox  Ter- 
rier— His  Care  and  Kenneling  in  Sickness  and  Health — 
and  the  Various  Uses  to  Which  He  Can  Be  Put — are 
among  the  phases  handled. 

24.  SUBURBAN    GARDENS,    by    Grace 

Illustrated  with  diagrams.  The  author  re- 
gards the  house  and  grounds  as  a  complete  unit  and 
shows  how  the  best  results  may  be  obtained  by  carrying 
the  reader  in  detail  through  the  various  phases  of  de- 
signing the  garden,  with  the  levels  and  contours  neces- 
sary, laying  out  the  walks  and  paths,  planning  and  plac- 
ing the  arbors,  summer  houses,  seats,  etc.,  and  selecting 
and  placing  trees,  shrubs,  vines  and  flowers.  Ideal  plans 
for  plots  of  various  sizes  are  appended,  as  well  as  sug- 
gestions for  correcting  mistakes  that  have  been  made 
through  "starting  wrong." 

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OUTIXG  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  — NEW  YORK 

25.  FISHING  WITH  FLOATING  FLIES, 
by  Samuel  G.  Camp.     This  is  an  art  that  is  compara- 
tively new  in  this  country  although  English  anglers 
have  used  the  dry  fly  for  generations.    Mr.  Camp  has 
given  the  matter  special  study  and  is  one  of  the  few 
American  anglers  who  really  understands  the  matter 
from  the  selection  of  the  outfit  to  the  landing  of  the 
fish. 

26.  THE  GASOLINE  MOTOR,  by  Harold 
Whiting  Slauson.    Deals  with  the  practical  problems 
of  motor  operation,    The  standpoint  is  that  of  the  man 
who  wishes  to  know  how  and  why  gasoline  generates 
power  and  something  about  the  various  types.    De- 
scribes in  detail  the  different  parts  of  motors  and  the 
faults  to  which  they  are  liable.    Also  gives  full  direc- 
tions as  to  repair  and  upkeep. 

27.  ICE  BOATING,  by  H.  L.  Stone.    Illus- 
trated with  diagrams.    Here  have  been  brought  to- 
gether all  the  available  information  on  the  organization 
and  history  of  ice-boating,  the  building  of  the  various 
types  of  ice  yachts,  from  the  small  15  footer  to  the 
600-foot  racer,  together  with  detailed  plans  and  specifi- 
cations.   Full  information  is  also  given  to  meet  the 
needs  of  those  who  wish  to  be  able  to  build  and  sail 
their  own  boats  but  are  handicapped  by  the  lack  of 
proper  knowledge  as  to  just  the  points  described  in 
this  volume. 

28.  MODERN  GOLF,  by  Harold  H.  Hil- 
ton.    Mr.  Hilton  is  the  only  man  who  has  ever  held 
the   amateur  championship   of   Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States  in  the  same  year.    This  book  gives  the 
reader  sound  advice,  not  so  much  on  the  mere  swing- 
ing of  the  clubs  as  in  the  actual  playing  of  the  game, 
with  all  the  factors  that  enter  into  it.     He  discusses 
the  use  of  wooden  clubs,  the  choice  of  clubs,  the  art 
of  approaching,  and  kindred  subjects. 

29.  INTENSIVE    FARMING,    by    L.    C. 
Corbett.     A  discussion  of  the  meaning,  method  and 
value  of  intensive  methods  in  agriculture.    This  book  is 
designed  for  the  convenience  of  practical  farmers  who 
find  themselves  under  the  necessity  of  making  a  living 
out  of  high-priced  land. 

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OUTING  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  — NEW  YORK 

30.  PRACTICAL   DOG  BREEDING,  by 
Williams  Haynes.    This  is  a  companion  volume  to 
PRACTICAL  DOG  KEEPING,  described  below.     It 
goes  at  length  into  the  fundamental  questions  of  breed- 
ing, such  as  selection  of  types  on  both  sides,  the  per- 
petuation of  desirable,  and  the  elimination  of  undesir- 
able qualities,  the  value  of  prepotency  in  building  up  a 
desired  breed,  etc. 

31.  PRACTICAL    DOG    KEEPING,    by 
Williams  Haynes.    Mr.  Haynes  is  well  known  to  the 
readers  of  the  OUTING  HANDBOOKS  as  the  author 
of  books  on  the  terriers.     His  new  book  is  somewhat 
more  ambitious  in  that  it  carries  him  into  the  general 
field  of  selection  of  breeds,  the  buying  and  selling  of 
dogs,  the  care  of  dogs  in  kennels,  handling  in  bench 
shows  and  field  trials,  and  at  considerable  length  into 
such  subjects  as  food  and  feeding,  exercise  and  groom- 
ing, disease,  etc. 

32.  THE  VEGETABLE  GARDEN,  by  R. 
L.  Watts.    This  book  is  designed  for  the  small  grower 
•with  a  limited  plot  of  ground.     The  reader  is  told  what 
types  of  vegetables  to  select,  the  manner  of  planting  and 
cultivation,  and  the  returns  that  may  be  expected. 

33.  AMATEUR  RODMAKING,  by  Perry 
D.  Frazer.     Illustrated.    A   practical    manual   for   all 
those  who  want  to  make  their  own  rod  and  fittings.    It 
contains  a  review  of  fishing  rod  history,  a  discussion 
of  materials,  a  list  of  the  tools  needed,  description  of 
the  method  to  be  followed  in  making  all  kinds  of  rods, 
including    fly-casting,    bait-fishing,    salmon,    etc.,    with 
full  instructions  for  winding,  varnishing,  etc. 

34.  PISTOL  AND  REVOLVER  SHOOT- 
ING, by  A.  L.  A.  Himmelwright.    A  new  and  re- 
vised edition  of  a  work  that  has  already  achieved  prom- 
inence as  an  accepted  authority  on  the  use  of  the  hand 
gun.    Full  instructions  are  given  in  the  use   of  both 
revolver  and  target  pistol,  including  shooting  position, 
grip,  position  of  arm,  etc.    The  book  is  thoroughly  il- 
lustrated with  diagrams  and  photographs  and  includes 
the  rules  of  the  United  States  Revolver  Association  and 
a  list  of  the  records  made  both  here  and  abroad. 

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OUTIXG  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  — NEW  YORK 

35.  PIGEON    RAISING,    by    Alice    Mac- 
Leod.    This  is  a  book  for  both  fancier  and  market 
breeder.    Full  descriptions  are  given  of  the  construc- 
tion of  houses,  the  care  of  the  birds,  preparation  for 
market,  and  shipment,  of  the  various  breeds  with  their 
markings  and  characteristics. 

36.  FISHING    TACKLE,    by    Perry    D. 
Frazer.     Illustrated.    It  tells  all  the  fisherman  needs 
to  know  about  making  and  overhauling  his  tackle  dur-  • 
ing  the  closed  season  and  gives  full  instructions  for 
tournament  casting  and  fly-casting. 

37.  AUTOMOBILE  OPERATION,  by  A. 
L.  Brennan,  Jr.     Illustrated.     Tells  the  plain  truth 
about  the  little  things  that  every  motorist  wants  to 
know  about  his  own  car.    Do  you  want  to  cure  ignition 
troubles?     Overhaul  and  adjust  your  carbureter?     Keep 
your  transmission  in  order?     Get  the  maximum  wear 
out  of  your  tires?     Do  any  other  of  the  hundred  and 
one  things  that  are  necessary  for  the  greatest  use  and 
enjoyment  of  your  car?    Then  you  will  find  this  book 
useful. 

38.  THE  FOX  HOUND,  by  Roger  D.  Wil- 
liams.    Author  of  "Horse  and  Hound."    Illustrat- 
ed.   The  author  is  the  foremost  authority  on  fox  hunt- 
ing and  foxhounds  in  America.    For  years  he  has  kept 
the  foxhound  studbook,  and  is  the  final  source  of  infor- 
mation on  all  disputed  points  relating  to  this  breed. 
His  book  discusses  types,  methods  of  training,  kennel- 
ing, diseases  and  all  the  other  practical  points  relating 
to  the  use  and  care  of  the  hound,  etc. 

39.  SALT  WATER  GAME  FISHING,  by 
Charles  F.  Holder.     Mr.    Holder   covers   the   whole 
field  of  his  subject  devoting  a  chapter  each  to  such  fish 
as  the  tuna,  the  tarpon,  amberjack,  the  sail  fish,  the  yel- 
low-tail, the  king  fish,  the  barracuda,  the  sea  bass  and 
the  small  game  fishes  of  Florida,  Porto  Rico,  the  Pa- 
cific  Coast,   Hawaii,  and  the   Philippines.    The   habits 
and  habitats  of  the  fish  are  described,  together  with  the 
methods  and  tackle  for  taking  them.    Illustrated. 

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OUTING  PUBLISHING  COMPANY^  NEW  70RK 

40.  WINTER  CAMPING,  by  Warwick  S. 
Carpenter.     A  book  that  meets  the  increasing  interest 
in  outdoor  life  in  the  cold  weather.    Mr.  Carpenter  dis- 
cusses  such   subjects   as   shelter   equipment,   clothing, 
food,  snowshoeing,  skiing,  and  winter  hunting,  wild  life 
in  winter  woods,  care  of  frost  bite,  etc.    Illustrated. 

41.  *WOODCRAFT   FOR   WOMEN,   by 
Mrs.  Kathrene  Gedney  Pinkerton.   The  author  has 
spent  several  years  in  the  Canadian  woods  and  is  thor- 
oughly familiar  with  the  subject  from  both  the  mascu- 
line and  feminine  point  of  view.    She  gives  sound  tips 
on  clothing,  camping  outfit,  food  supplies,  and  methods, 
by  which  the  woman  may  adjust  herself  to  the  outdoor 
environment. 

42.  *SMALL  BOAT  BUILDING,  by  H. 
W.  Patterson.    Illustrated  with  diagrams  and  plans. 
A  working  manual  for  the  man  who  wants  to  be  his 
own    designer    and    builder.    Detail    descriptions    and 
drawings  are  given  showing  the  various  stages  in  the 
building,  and  chapters  are  included  on  proper  materials 
and  details. 

43.  READING  THE  WEATHER,  by  T. 
Morris  Longstreth.    The  author  gives  in  detail  the 
various  recognized  signs  for  different  kinds  of  weather 
based  primarily  on  the  material  worked  out  by  the  Gov- 
ernment Weather  Bureau,  gives  rules  by  which  the  char- 
acter and  duration  of  storms  may  be  estimated,  and 
gives  instructions  for  sensible  use  of  the  barometer. 
He  also  gives  useful  information  as  to  various  weather 
averages  for  different  parts  of  the  country,  at  different 
times  of  the  year,  and  furnishes  sound  advice  for  the 
camper,  sportsman,  and  others  who  wish  to  know  what 
they  may  expect  in  the  weather  line. 

44.  BOXING,  by  D.  C.  Hutchison.   Practi- 
cal instruction  for  men  who  wish  to  learn  the  first  steps 
in  the  manly  art.    Mr.  Hutchison  writes  from  long  per- 
sonal experience  as  an  amateur  boxer  and  as  a  trainer 
of  other  amateurs.    His  instructions  are  accompanied 
with  full  diagrams  showing  the  approved  blows  and 
guards.    He  also  gives  full  directions  for  training  for 
condition  without  danger  of  going  stale  from  overtrain-* 
ing.    It  is  essentially  a  book  for  the  amateur. 

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OUTING  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  — NEW  YORK 

45.  TENNIS  TACTICS,  by  Raymond  D. 
Little.     Out  of  his  store  of  experience  as  a  successful 
tennis  player,  Mr.  Little  has  written  this  practical  guide 
for  those  who  wish  to  know  how  real  tennis  is  played. 
He  tells  the  reader  when  and  how  to  take  the  net,  dis- 
cusses the  relative  merits  of  the  back-court  and  volley- 
ing game  and  how  their  proper  balance  may  be  achiev- 
ed; analyzes  and  appraises  the  twist  service,  shows  the 
fundamental  necessities  of  successful  doubles  play. 

46.  HOW  TO  PLAY  TENNIS,  by  James 
Burns.   This  book  gives  simple,  direct  instruction  from 
the  professional  standpoint  on  the  fundamentals  of  the 
game.    It  tells  the  reader  how  to  hold  his  racket,  how 
to  swing  it  for  the  various  strokes,  how  to  stand  and 
how  to  cover  the  court.    These  points  are  illustrated 
with  photographs  and  diagrams.    The  author  also  illus- 
trates the  course  of  the  ball  in  the  progress  of  play  and 
points  out  the  positions  of  greatest  safety  and  greatest 
danger. 

47.  TAXIDERMY,  by  Leon  L.  Pray.      Il- 
lustrated with  diagrams.    Being  a  practical  taxidermist, 
the  author  at  once  goes  into  the  question  of  selection 
of  tools  and  materials  for  the  various  stages  of  skin- 
ning, stuffing  and  mounting.    The  subjects  whose  hand- 
ling is  described  are,  for  the  most  part,  the  every-day 
ones,  such  as  ordinary  birds,  small  mammals,  etc.,  al- 
though adequate  instructions  are  included  for  mounting 
big  game  specimens,  as  well  as  the  preliminary  care  of 
skins  in  hot  climates.    Full  diagrams  accompany  the 
text. 

48.  THE     CANOE— ITS     SELECTION, 
CARE  AND  USE,  by  Robert  E.  Pinkerton.      Il- 
lustrated with  photographs.    With  proper  use  the  canoe 
is  one  of  the  safest  crafts  that  floats.    Mr.  Pinkerton 
tells  how  that  state  of  safety  may  be  obtained.    He  gives 
full  instructions  for  the  selection  of  the  right  canoe  for 
each  particular  purpose  or  set  of  conditions.    Then  he 
tells  how  it  should  be  used  in  order  to  secure  the  maxi- 
mum of  safety,  comfort  and  usefulness.    His  own  lesson 
was  learned  among  the  Indians  of  Canada,  where  pad- 
dling is  a  high  art,  and  the  use  of  the  canoe  almost  as 
much  a  matter  of  course  as  the  wearing  of  moccasins. 

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OUTING  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  — NEW  YORK 

49.  HORSE    PACKING,    by    Charles    J. 
Post.     Illustrated  with  diagrams.    This  is  a  complete 
description  of  the  hitches,  knots,  and  apparatus  used  in 
making  and  carrying  loads  of  various  kinds  on  horse- 
back.    Its  basis  is  the  methods  followed  in  the  West 
and  in  the  American  Army.    The  diagrams  are  full  and 
detailed,  giving  the  various  hitches  and  knots  at  each 
of  the  important  stages  so  that  even  the  novice  can 
follow  and  use  them.     It  is  the  only  book  ever  pub- 
lished on  this  subject  of  which  this  could  be  said.     Full 
description  is  given  of  the  ideal  pack  animal,  as  well  as 
a  catalogue  of  the  diseases  and  injuries  to  which  such 
animals  are  subject. 

50.  ^LEARNING  TO  SWIM,  by  L.  de  B. 
Handley.     Illustrated.     Constructed  especially  for  the 
beginner  who  has  no  knowledge  of  the  first  steps.     Ex- 
plains the  formation  of  the  strokes,  how  to  acquire  con- 
fidence in  the  water  and  gives  full  details  as  to  the  var- 
ious methods,  including  those  used  by  experts  and  rac- 
ing swimmers. 

51.  *SMALL  BOAT   NAVIGATION,   by 
Lieut.  Com.  F.  W.  Sterling,  U.  S.  N.  Retired. 
Illustrated  with  diagrams.     A  complete  description  of 
the  instruments  and  methods  necessary  in  navigating 
small  boats  in  pilot  waters,  on  soundings,  and  oft7  shore. 
Describes  the  taking  of  sights  for  position,  the  running 
of  courses,  taking  soundings,  using  the  chart,  plotting 
compass  courses,  etc.     Several  chapters  are  given  over 
to  the  seamanship  side  of  navigation,  explaining  the 
handling  of  small  boats  under  various  conditions. 

52.  *TOURING  AFOOT,   by   D^.   C.   P. 
Fordyce.      Illustrated.    This    book    is    designed    to 
meet  the  growing  interest  in  walking  trips  and  covers 
the  whole  field  of  outfit  and  method  for  trips  of  varying 
length,.     Various    standard    camping    devices    are    de- 
scribed and  outfits   are  prescribed  for  all  conditions. 
It  is  based  on  the  assumption  that  the  reader  will  want 
to  carry  on  his  own  back  everything  that  he  requires 
for  the  trip. 

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I       OUTING  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  — NEW  YORK 

53.  THE    MARINE    MOTOR,    by    Lieut. 
Com.  F.  W.  Sterling,  U.  S.  N.  (Ret.).         Illustrated 
with  diagrams.     This  book  is  the  product  of  a  wide  ex- 
perience on  the  engineering  staff  of  the  United  States 
Navy.    It    gives    careful    descriptions    of    the    various 
parts  of  the  marine  motor,  their  relation  to  the  whole 
and  their  method  of  operation;  it  also  describes  the 
commoner  troubles  and  suggests  remedies.     The  prin- 
cipal types  of  engines  are  described  in  detail  with  dia- 
grams.   The  object  is  primarily  to  give  the  novice  a 
good  working  knowledge  of  his  engine,  its  operation 
and  care. 

54.  *THE  BEGINNER'S  BEE  BOOK,  by 
Frank  C.  Pellett.     Illustrated.    This  book  is  design- 
ed primarily  for  the  small  scale  bee  farmer.    It  discusses 
the  different  varieties  of  bees  and  their  adaptability  to 
different  conditions,  the  construction  of  hives,  care  and 
feeding  at  various  times  of  the  year,  handling  of  bees, 
and  the  types  of  locations  and  feed  most  suitable  for 
bee  culture. 

55.  *THE  POINTER,  by  Williams  Haynes. 
Contains  chapters  on  the  history  and  development  of 
the  breed,  selection  of  dog,  breeding,  kenneling,  and 
training.     Also  contains  information  on  common  sense 
remedies  for  ordinary  diseases. 

56.  *THE  SETTER,  by  Williams  Haynes. 
The  author  takes  up  the  origin  and  history  of  the  breed, 
its  development,  breeding,  kenneling,  and  training.    He 
also  discusses  the  various  diseases  to  which  they  are: 
subject  and  treatment  therefor. 

57.  ^PRACTICAL   BAIT    CASTING,   by 
Larry  St.  John.     Illustrated.     This  book  deals  with 
tackle  and  methods  used  in  catching  black  bass.     It  is 
based  upon  a  wide  and  varied  experience  in  the  middle 
West,  where  more  bass  fishing  is  done  than  in  any 
other  part  of  the  country. 


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•  2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 
(510)642-6753 

•  1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing 
books  to  NRLF 

•  Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4 
days  prior  to  due  date. 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


JUN221999 


12,000(11/95) 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


454786 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


I 


